On 1 May 2024, H.E. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang attended and addressed the first China-UK/Northern Ireland Education Cooperation Forum held at Ulster University in Belfast at invitation and delivered a keynote speech titled “Openness and cooperation is the right way forward”. The full text of the speech is as follows:
Openness and cooperation is the right way forward
Deputy Lieutenant Professor Alastair Adair,
Speaker Edwin Poots,
Chancellor Colin Davidson,
President Lei Rujin,
Mayors,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
It is my great pleasure to come back to Ulster University. Thank you to Chancellor Davidson for the kind invitation. My congratulations on the opening of the first China-UK/Northern Ireland Education Cooperation Forum! And congratulations on the 175th anniversary of the Belfast School of Art.
Ulster University is known for its long history, innovation vitality and excellence in both teaching and scientific research.
What’s more, with a strong sense of openness, Ulster attaches great importance to international exchanges. This is well demonstrated by today’s launch of the Centre for Education, Cultural and Language Exchange by Ulster University and Hubei Normal University.
I am also glad to learn that cooperation between Ulster University and the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts has seen continuous deepening and that Ulster has signed a number of letters of intent with other Chinese universities and colleges.
These collaborations will certainly further enhance Ulster’s strengths in multiple fields. My congratulations again to all the institutions involved in these partnerships.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In China, we value education and respect teachers. This has been our long-standing tradition. The Analects of Confucius, composed more than 2,500 years ago, is still a must-read for Chinese primary school students today.
China’s focus on education has enabled the country to create a splendid civilisation. The four great inventions of ancient China - papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the compass - have fundamentally changed the course of human progress.
Over the 75 years since the founding of New China, it is also because of the great importance we place on education that we have been able to achieve great accomplishments.
And now, China is taking concrete steps to promote high-quality development and accelerate the creation of new-quality productive forces. In this process, we are further prioritising education, science and technology, and talent cultivation.
With 75 years of hard work, we have put in place the world's largest education system.
Now in China, we have more than 510,000 education institutions of different types at all levels, 293 million university, secondary and primary school students, and more than 18.8 million full-time teachers.
The popularity of China’s basic education at different stages has reached or exceeded the OECD average, and we are now upgrading our higher education to greater quality.
In the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, mainland Chinese universities ranked first in 14 subjects, and were listed among the top 10 in 114 subjects, the second largest number in the world.
Education advancement has in turn accelerated technological innovation. By the end of 2023, China owned close to 5 million valid invention patents, ranking first in the world.
Our total input in R&D and investment in the high-tech sector has been growing at double-digit rates for several years running.
New technologies, including cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and blockchain, are being applied at a faster pace.
New products and new business forms such as intelligent terminals, robots and telehealth have kept emerging.
China now has some 400,000 high-tech enterprises and ranks second globally in the number of unicorn companies.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Confucius said: “When walking with two other people, I can always learn something from them.” This continues to be our belief today. We remain committed to openness and international exchanges in education.
To date, we have carried out educational exchanges with more than 180 countries, signed agreements on mutual recognition of qualifications and academic degrees with 58 countries and regions, and established 12 UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks.
85 countries have incorporated Chinese language teaching into their national education curricula, and more than 30 million people outside of China are studying the language.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our world today is undergoing deep transformation and increasing volatility, humanity is facing severe challenges such as climate change and infectious diseases, and a new round of industrial and technological revolution is unfolding at pace.
Now more than ever, countries need to enhance education cooperation, work together to cultivate more talent with a global vision, and find solutions to common challenges. This should be an international consensus and a shared goal of people across the world.
In recent years, however, there have been constant noises against it from some politicians in the West. They use “national security” as an excuse to push for "decoupling” of economies, severing of industrial and supply chains, and creation of small yards with high fences while pointing fingers at China and obstructing exchanges and collaboration.
Anyone with a historic vision, pragmatic attitude and sound judgment should reject such noises, uphold openness and inclusiveness, and persist in exchanges and cooperation.
Facts have and will continue to show that China-UK educational collaboration is mutually beneficial and has broad prospects.
There are nearly 200,000 Chinese students studying in the UK, and among them, more than 2,000 are studying at Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. Since 2013, more than 67,000 British students have studied or participated in internship programmes in China. And we hope to see more UK students going to China.
There are 242 education programmes jointly run by China and the UK at the undergraduate level or above. Ulster College at Shaanxi University of Science and Technology is a stellar example.
Other programmes such as the China-UK Mathematics Teacher Programme, the Mandarin Excellence Programme and the China-UK School Partner Programme have also been well received by teachers and students in both countries.
Chinese students studying in the UK have not only enriched cultural diversity at British campuses, but also contributed to teaching and scientific research in this country. And UK students are doing the same in China.
The number of academic papers jointly published by Chinese and British researchers surged to nearly 16,300 in 2019; and in the past five years, 24.8% of the co-authored papers between our two sides have a citation impact of twice the world average.
China and the UK, through our education cooperation, have provided a large talent pool for both countries, who are also goodwill ambassadors connecting the two sides.
Ladies and gentlemen,
China is committed to working with all sectors in the UK for a steady and mutually beneficial China-UK relationship on the basis of mutual respect and equality.
The UK will hold its general election this year. We hope that people from all walks of life in both countries, especially those in the education sector, will not be swayed by noises or disturbed by obstructions, and will continue to promote mutual learning and mutually beneficial collaboration between our two countries. Ulster University can take the lead in this regard.
The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the UK will, as always, support your efforts and facilitate your educational exchanges and collaboration with your Chinese counterparts.
To conclude, I wish this forum a full success.
Thank you.
