On November 4, a 23-member delegation of Russian university rectors visited Henan University (HENU). The delegation was led by Germanov Igor Anatolyevich, Rector of Perm National Research University. Professor CUI Daxiang, Vice President of HENU, met with the guests. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on cooperation matters including talent cultivation and international education programs. Responsible officials from relevant units such as the International Affairs Office, the School of International Education, and the Wushu College attended the meeting, which was presided over by CHEN Nan.

After watching HENU’s promotional video The Way of the University, CUI Daxiang delivered a speech. He first extended a warm welcome to the delegation on behalf of HENU and provided a detailed introduction to HENU’s development in areas such as international cooperation. CUI Daxiang noted that educational exchanges between China and Russia have a long history. He expressed hope that this exchange would serve as an opportunity to further deepen bilateral cooperation in industry-education integration, international education programs, and faculty-student exchanges. The goal is to jointly cultivate high-level talent and inject new momentum into China-Russia educational collaboration.

ZHAO Changle, Director of the Russian University Alliance Office in China, stated his anticipation for establishing closer cooperative relations with HENU to jointly promote the high-quality development of higher education in both countries. Addresses were then given by Germanov Igor Anatolyevich, Chigovskaya-Nazarova Yanina Alexandrovna, Rector of Glazov State University of Engineering and Pedagogigs named after V.G.Korolenko, and Sagaydak Evgeny Ivanovich, Director of the Overseas Education Administration of Novosibirsk State University. The rectors indicated that, propelled by multiple meetings between the top leaders of both nations, China-Russia educational cooperation has deepened from student exchanges to dimensions such as curriculum integration and joint scientific research. Student exchanges between the two countries have involved more than 70,000 individuals, with both sides advancing toward a target of 100,000. This cooperation not only provides opportunities for cross-cultural learning and entrepreneurship for students from both countries and alleviates resource pressures on universities but also serves as a crucial pillar of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia.

During the meeting, Chinese and Russian representatives discussed topics including “How Industry-Education Integration Can Facilitate Talent Cultivation”, “Innovation in Models for Transnational Cooperative Education”, and “Specific Pathways and Cooperative Models for Confucius Classroom Development”. LI Xiangling, Dean of HENU’s School of International Education, outlined the construction plan for Confucius Classrooms, drawing on the school’s past experience with overseas cultural exchange projects. Rectors from multiple Russian universities also introduced their respective institutions, elaborated on their educational characteristics and cooperation needs, and expressed eagerness to advance the alignment of specific cooperation details. The shared aim is to jointly build platforms for Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange.

The hosting of this exchange activity not only enhanced mutual understanding between HENU and Russian universities but also established a long-term, stable platform for cooperation. Moving forward, HENU will continue to deepen its international exchanges and cooperation, contributing further strength to the promotion of practical collaboration and mutual development in the field of China-Russia higher education.