From June 29 to 30, the Forum and Achievement Exhibition on High Quality Development of Sino-French Cooperative Education was held at Beihang University.
The event is to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, showcase the outcomes of the first Sino-French Education Development Forum, and commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sino-French Engineer School at Beihang University.
On the morning of June 29, Zhao Changlu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beihang University, met with delegates from the Groupe des Écoles Centrales and the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) Group before the forum commenced.
Zhao Changlu meeting with delegates
Zhao Changlu emphasized the deep-rooted friendship between China and France and highlighted the significant achievements over the past two decades, including the training of over a thousand engineers with international vision. It is hoped that China and France will further carry out more extensive and in-depth cooperation in more disciplines and cultivate more talents, jointly contributing to the development of the world.
The forum was officially held on the afternoon of June 29 in the First Lecture Hall of New Main Building at Beihang University. Among attendees were Qian Lixia, Minister Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xu Chaofeng, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Sun Mingchun, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges at the Ministry of Education, Tian Lulu, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Scholarship Council, An Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Education Association for International Exchange, Wang Yunpeng, President of Beihang University, Romain Soubeyran, President of the Groupe des Écoles Centrales, Mourad Boukhalfa, President of lNSA Group and Director of INSA Rouen, Pascal Ray, Director of École Centrale de Lyon, Frédéric Fotiadu, Director of INSA Lyon, Bertrand Raquet, Director of INSA Toulouse, Armel de la Bourdonnaye, Director of INSA Hauts-de-France, Etienne Craye, Director of ESIGELEC (Graduate School of Electrical Engineering in Rouen), Gilles Fleury, General Representative of Groupe des Écoles Centrales, Damien Fabregue, Deputy Director of INSA Lyon, Cyril Marteau, Deputy Director of ESIGELEC, and representatives from various Chinese universities and companies. The forum was chaired by Zhao Weisheng, Vice President of Beihang University.
Xu Chaofeng delivering remarks at the forum
Xu Chaofeng, in his opening remarks, stressed the importance of innovative cooperation models and the integration of education with industry in response to the new technological revolution and industrial transformation. He highlighted the need for Sino-French educational institutions to advance pragmatic cooperation to higher levels and broader fields.
Sun Mingchun speaking at the forum
Sun Mingchun acknowledged Beihang’s strong tradition of cooperation with French institutions, particularly in engineering education. He expressed hope for Beihang to continue nurturing high-caliber talent and serving as a bridge for academic exchanges between China and France.
Tian Lulu speaking at the forum
Tian Lulu underscored the broad cooperative foundation in engineering education between the two countries. She lauded Beihang as a successful model of Sino-French cooperation and assured continued support for the university’s international endeavors.
An Yan speaking at the forum
An Yan praised the continuous efforts of the China Education Association for International Exchange in fostering Sino-French educational collaboration and congratulated Beihang’s Sino-French Engineer School on training over 1,000 engineers.
Wang Yunpeng giving a keynote report
With the theme of “Building Dreams for Twenty Years, Creating New Chapters Together", Wang Yunpeng reviewed and prospected the Sino-French engineering education in his speech. On the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, Beihang University and the Groupe des Écoles Centrales founded the Sino-French Engineer School, marking a new era of educational cooperation between the two nations. This partnership has thrived under the care and support of both the Chinese and French governments. He noted that over 20 years of cooperation, three major insights have emerged: Integration of Chinese and French talent cultivation models has formed a new paradigm of engineering education that seamlessly connects pre-university, undergraduate, and graduate programs; The joint management committee mechanism ensures close collaboration between Chinese and French management teams, building high mutual trust; A coordinated and stable investment mechanism ensures the sustainable development of Sino-French educational cooperation. Looking to the future, Beihang will continue to work with French partners to develop new cooperative projects in Hangzhou, deepen collaborations in Beijing, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state to create new chapters in Sino-French cooperation.
Romain Soubeyran giving a report
Pierre Vialettes giving a report
Mourad Boukhalfa giving a report
Guo Jinliang giving a report
Four experts including Romain Soubeyran, Pierre Vialettes, Mourad Boukhalfa, and Guo Jinliang gave speeches respectively, exploring the development trends of Sino-French higher education cooperation and providing new perspectives on cultivating excellent engineers for both countries.
Roundtable dialogue
At the roundtable dialogue session, participants including Frédéric Fotiadu, Zhou Zhongrong, Bertrand Raquet, Wang Fazhou, Armel de la Bourdonnaye, Li Qianwen, and Li Zhonghong engaged in. The roundtable was moderated by Pascal Ray.
Wang Yunpeng and Soubeyran turning the tassels for graduates
Wang Yunpeng and Soubeyran awarding graduate representative Chu Kaiyang with a Master's Degree and Engineering Certificate
The forum also featured the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2024 from the Sino-French Engineer School. Wang Yunpeng and Romain Soubeyran, among others, turned the tassels for the graduates.
Chu Kaiyang speaking at the forum
Graduate Chu Kaiyang, the 1,000th engineer, expressed gratitude to all leaders and teachers supporting Sino-French development in a bilingual speech.
Group Photo of the 2024 graduates from Sino-French Engineer School
On the evening of June 29, a gala was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the cooperation agreement between Beihang and Groupe des Écoles Centrales Coopration, attended by members of institutions from China and France.
On the morning of June 30, a forum for Presidents of Sino-French cooperative educational institutions was held. Participants from universities including Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Chang’an University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Dongguan University of Technology, Hohai University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing Audit University, Ningbo University, Shanghai University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tianjin University, Wuhan University of Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Civil Aviation University of China, Renmin University of China, Sun Yat-sen University, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts discussed topics such as talent cultivation, scientific research, and digital transformation.
From June 28 to 30, an exhibition showcasing the achievements of Sino-French cooperative education was held at the square in front of Beijing Air and Space Museum.
The forum saw participation from 29 government departments, educational institutions, and renowned enterprises, including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China Scholarship Council, China Education Association for International Exchange, Beihang University, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Chang’an University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Dongguan University of Technology, Southeast University, Hohai University, East China University of Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing Audit University, Ningbo University, Shanghai University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tianjin University, Wuhan University of Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Civil Aviation University of China, Renmin University of China, Sun Yat-sen University, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Aix-Marseille University, ESIGELEC, Groupe des Écoles Centrales, INSA Group, etc.
On the occasion of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2004, the Sino-French Engineer School was co-founded by Beihang University and the Groupe des Écoles Centrales. The first cohort of students was admitted in September 2005. The school was among the first to be selected for the Ministry of Education's “Outstanding Engineer Education and Training Program” and is the first Sino-foreign cooperative educational institution accredited by both the French Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur (CTI) and the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (EUR-ACE). To date, the Sino-French Engineer School has trained more than 1,000 graduates with both Chinese master's degrees and French engineering diplomas, playing a significant role in Sino-French cultural and academic exchanges.
(Source: Sino-French Engineer School)
Written by: Xu Gaonan
Reviewed by: Zhang Jiang
Edited by: Jia Aiping
Translated by: Han Xu
