On September 19, the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) and the British Council jointly hosted the UK-China Higher Education Forum 2023. The event featured Fang Jun, deputy director general of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Ministry of Education of China; An Yan, deputy secretary general at CEAIE; Scott McDonald, chief executive of the British Council; and Nick Thomas, minister (culture and education) at the British Embassy in Beijing. Gao Jian, director of the Center for British Studies at Shanghai International Studies University and a China Forum expert, served as the moderator of the forum and made concluding remarks on behalf of the Chinese institutions.

China and the UK share the vision that there is great potential for people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between them, said Professor Gao. The two sides should establish a long-term and stable cooperation mechanism based on equality and mutual benefit to advance such efforts. In order to ensure the quality and effectiveness of educational cooperation, a diversified and systematic evaluation mechanism should be in place.

Despite some challenges in their bilateral ties, the two countries still share strong potential in common development through people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. In a world that celebrates cultural diversity, we believe that together, Chinese and British universities can strengthen the friendship and mutual trust between the education communities in the two countries, said Gao Jian.