On November 13, the cooperation meeting and signing ceremony between Beihang University and Brazilian partners was held at the grand lecture hall of the Ruxin Conference Center.

The event was attended by Denise Pires de Carvalho, Brazilian Vice Minister of Education and President of Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Capes); Helena Hoppen Melchionna, Head of the Health, Education, and Social Affairs Section of the Brazilian Embassy in China; Maysa Furlan, Rector of São Paulo State University (UNESP); Enrique Huelva Unternbäumen, former Vice Rector and current Brazilian Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Brasília (UnB); Zhao Changlu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beihang University; and Wang Zhiwei, former Education Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Brazil and Second-Level Inspector of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education of China. The ceremony was presided over by Zhao Weisheng, Vice President of Beihang University.

In his speech, Zhao Changlu stated that deepening educational cooperation and promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning is essential for the development of the China-Brazil relations. As the first higher education institution in aeronautics and astronautics established in New China, Beihang has always adhered to an open, sharing, and pragmatic philosophy of cooperation, considering deepening collaboration with Brazil as a crucial pillar of the university's globalization strategy. Looking ahead, Zhao Changlu emphasized the need to deepen interdisciplinary integration in building a first-class China-Brazil innovation hub, innovate talent cultivation models to establish a leading China-Brazil education center, and promote mutual learning among civilizations to create a base for friendship and exchanges, fostering an open, inclusive, sharing, and integrated culture through platforms such as the Confucius Institute. He expressed anticipation that this signing would mark a new phase of high-quality and sustainable cooperation between the two sides, contributing to deepening the China-Brazil relations in the new era.

Denise Pires de Carvalho stated that she was honored to visit Beihang and witness another important milestone in China-Brazil cooperation. She highlighted that the Capes was founded in the same year as Beihang, signaling a natural foundation for close cooperation in scientific research and education. She hoped that the cooperation platform between Beihang and Brazilian institutions would become an engine for collaborative scientific innovation and yield more substantial results. She emphasized that expanding all-round cooperation between China and Brazil is a strategic consensus based on mutual interests and long-term development. As 2026 marks the "China-Brazil Year of Culture," Brazil will take this opportunity to further strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges with China, deepen cooperation in cutting-edge technological fields such as aerospace and AI, and actively promote the exchanges between the faculty and students of the two countries. She firmly believed that by strengthening pragmatic cooperation between universities and research institutions, China and Brazil will achieve new heights in coordinated development in culture, science and technology, and education.

In her remarks, Maysa Furlan noted that UNESP is the largest higher education institution in Brazil and the first university in the country to establish a Confucius Institute, placing Sino-Brazilian cooperation at the core of its strategic priorities. Currently, China-Brazil relations are showing a vigorous and thriving positive trend. UNESP looks forward to collaborating closely with Beihang to promote in-depth cooperation in education, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation, and enrich exchanges and visits between faculty and students. She anticipated that this in-depth cooperation would contribute to new developments in education, economy, and culture between China and Brazil.

Enrique Huelva Unternbäumen stated that since its establishment, the Confucius Institute at the UnB has effectively promoted people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Brazil, realizing the important vision of education serving social and economic development. He mentioned that the university is the only higher education institution in Latin America with the capability to develop hybrid rocket engines, which aligns closely with Beihang's disciplinary strengths. Looking forward, he expressed hope to establish a strategic partnership with Beihang, expand substantive cooperation in student and faculty exchanges, joint training, and scientific innovation, and collaborate on aerospace research to usher in a new chapter of cooperation between the two universities.

Dong Zhuoning, Assistant President and Dean of the Hangzhou International Innovation Institute (H3I) at Beihang University, and Director of the Beihang Brazil Center, introduced Beihang's cooperation with Brazil and the construction plan of the Beihang Brazil Center.

During the ceremony, Zhao Changlu and Maysa Furlan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Beihang and UNESP. The MoU aims to expand and deepen joint scientific research and teaching activities, systematically promote faculty and student exchanges, and strengthen collaboration in key areas such as joint research projects and resource sharing, laying a solid foundation for deep cooperation in talent cultivation and scientific innovation.

Dong Zhuoning and Enrique Huelva Unternbäumen signed a MoU between Beihang and the UnB. Under this agreement, the two sides will focus on promoting joint scientific research projects, implementing undergraduate and graduate exchange programs, supporting faculty and student visits, sharing academic information and research results, and co-hosting international seminars and academic conferences.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Zhao Changlu met with Denise Pires de Carvalho and her delegation at the lecture hall of the Ruxin Conference Center.

He extended a warm welcome to the delegation, thanked the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Brazilian universities for their support for Beihang's development, and introduced the university's achievements in discipline construction, talent cultivation, scientific and technological innovation, and internationalization. He emphasized that Beihang is committed to nurturing top-tier talent and developing groundbreaking technologies, maintaining a leading position in China's higher education, and actively promoting international exchanges and cooperation as a model for China-Brazil educational cooperation. He expressed hope to further deepen cooperation through more projects to achieve high-quality and sustainable development of higher education in both countries.

Denise Pires de Carvalho thanked Beihang for its warm reception and conveyed the cordial greetings of Camilo Santana, Minister of Education in Brazil, to Beihang. She stated that Brazil attaches great importance to cooperation with China, and significant progress has been made in key areas such as high-level talent cultivation and cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation. As a top university in China, Beihang is one of Brazil's most important partners. Looking forward, Brazil is willing to work with Beihang to support more exchanges of scholars and students, promote all-round and in-depth cooperation in various fields, and elevate Sino-Brazilian cooperation in education and science and technology to new heights.

In the afternoon, Denise Pires de Carvalho and her delegation visited the Beijing Air and Space Museum at Beihang University, gaining a deeper understanding of the university's innovative achievements in the fields of aeronautics, astronautics, and cutting-edge technologies.

In recent years, the cooperation between Beihang and Brazilian universities has continued to deepen, entering a milestone phase in 2025. During Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's visit to China, Wang Yunpeng, President of Beihang, signed an agreement with the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) on behalf of Beihang, officially establishing the Beihang Innovation Institute in Brazil and the Confucius Institute. In May, the Beihang Brazil Center was officially inaugurated at the Hangzhou International Campus. In July, on the occasion of the 17th BRICS Summit, Zhao Changlu led a delegation to Brazil, signing agreements with the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and the UFRJ, establishing the Beihang-USP Green Aviation Laboratory and hosting a series of bilateral scientific and technological innovation forums. In October, during the 2nd University Partners Summit of Beihang University, Beihang signed multiple cooperation agreements with Brazilian partners, appointed several distinguished Brazilian scholars as adjunct professors, and organized a series of special events focusing on Brazil as a key partner country.

This high-level visit is a key part of the Brazilian delegation's trip to attend the World Chinese Language Conference, demonstrating a firm commitment to advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Brazil in higher education.

Editor: Liu Tingting