On May 24, the 11th International Culture Festival (ICF) of Beihang University was held at the Xueyuan Road Campus. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the partnership between Beihang University and Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Spain served as the Guest Country of Honor. The two universities jointly presented a series of splendid Spanish-themed activities.

Attendees included Francisco Javier, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Spain in China; José E. Capilla Romá, Rector of UPV; Vice Rectors Juan Carlos Cano Escribá, María Belén Picó Sirvent, Eugenio Pellicer Armiñana, José Francisco Monserrat Del Río, Silvia Mª Terrasa Barrena, and Elena de la Poza Plaza. Beihang President Wang Yunpeng, Vice Presidents Zhao Weisheng, Deng Yi, and Wu Jianghao also attended the relevant events.

At the opening ceremony, Wang Yunpeng delivered a welcome address, followed by speeches from President José E. Capilla Romá and Francisco Javier.

On behalf of the university, Wang Yunpeng extended a warm welcome to the Chinese and international guests and expressed gratitude to all who have long supported Beihang's international development. He noted that Spain boasts a splendid culture and profound historical heritage, and the cooperation between Beihang and UPV is reaching new historic heights. Regarding further advancement of international education, Wang put forward three expectations: deepen robust cooperation to establish high-end collaborative platforms; advance joint talent cultivation and innovate cooperative education models; and enhance mutual learning among civilizations and promote two-way exchanges between faculty and students. Beihang looks forward to working with partners worldwide to jointly draw a new blueprint for educational cooperation in the intelligent era.

José E. Capilla Romá spoke highly of Beihang's academic strengths and cutting-edge research achievements, fully affirming the solid and deep foundation of the 20-year partnership between the two universities. He noted that the establishment of the Beihang Valencia Polytechnic Institute (BVPI) stands as a major milestone in the collaboration between the two sides. UPV is fully committed to deepening comprehensive cooperation with Beihang in talent cultivation, research innovation, and people-to-people exchanges, striving to set a model for China-Europe university cooperation.

Against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership, Francisco Javier highly commended the fruitful cooperation between Beihang and UPV. He stated that their deep partnership vividly reflects the mutual trust and win-win nature of higher education cooperation between China and Spain. He hoped that both sides would continue to strengthen collaboration in science and education, facilitating cultural exchange, technological progress, and youth engagement between the two nations.

Under the theme "Bridging Continents, Voyaging the Universe," the ICF this year featured 53 cultural booths set up by students and faculty from 45 countries and regions, showcasing their unique cuisines, traditional costumes, and handicrafts. Lively performances including Spanish dance and Chinese martial arts enlivened the event, creating a joyous and friendly atmosphere. Global participants enhanced mutual understanding amid laughter, as different civilizations shone brightly together on campus.

The ICF and the Spanish-themed events were both a celebration of diverse civilizations and a vivid testament to deepening international educational cooperation. Beihang and UPV have taken solid steps forward in intelligent technology, talent cultivation, and research innovation, jointly demonstrating the responsibility of higher education in serving global sustainable development. By fostering mutual understanding through cultural integration and pooling strength through scientific and technological collaboration, Beihang continues to write a new chapter in educational opening-up with an ever-broadening vision.

At the opening ceremony, BVPI was officially inaugurated, marking a critical step forward in high-level Sino-foreign cooperative education, international outstanding engineering talent cultivation, and joint innovation in intelligent technology between the two universities.

During the festival, Wang Yunpeng and José E. Capilla Romá co-chaired the first meeting of the Joint Management Committee of BVPI. The two sides held in-depth discussions on governance mechanisms, talent cultivation, faculty development, student enrollment, platform building, and international cooperation, clarifying key tasks and future directions. This marked the official transition of the collaborative program into a new phase of systematic, institutionalized, and substantive operation.

Subsequently, the Appointment Ceremony for BVPI Dean and Co-Dean and the signing Ceremony for the Sino-Spanish Joint Laboratory for Catalysis were held.

During their visit, the delegation led by José E. Capilla Romá also visited the Center for Micro-Nano Innovation of Beihang (Beihang Nano) and Beijing Air and Space Museum, gaining a deeper insight into Beihang's research capabilities and educational achievements.

Editor: Liu Tingting