On the morning of September 6, Dr. Blade Nzimande, South Africa's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Daan du Toit, Acting Director General of the Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa, Prof. Nosisi Nellie Feza, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Venda, and Mr. Wang Yuchen, Director of the South Africa-China Transport Cooperation Centre visited Beihang University. Prof. Wang Yunpeng, President of Beihang University, met with the guests in Ruxin Conference Centre. Prof. Zhao Weisheng, Vice President of Beihang University, and representatives from relevant departments and schools joined the meeting. During the visit, Minister Nzimande and President Wang Yunpeng witnessed the unveiling ceremony of the “China-Africa Joint Laboratory on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and Remote Sensing Applications”.
Wang Yunpeng expressed his warm welcome to Minister Nzimande’s visit to Beihang and briefly introduced the university in talent cultivation, scientific research and innovation, and global cooperation. He pointed out that President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa recently paid a state visit to China and participated in the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and that President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa decided to elevate the relationship between the two sides to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era. The two heads of state also witnessed the signing of a raft of bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as the application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. All these have laid a solid foundation for China and South Africa to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in education, science and technology, and innovation. The visit of Minister Nzimande’s delegation is a vivid portrayal of the partnership between China and South Africa. Beihang has attached great importance to exchanges and cooperation with South Africa, and the approval of the China-Africa Joint Laboratory project is of great significance in promoting the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in the field of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System applications. It is hoped that the Minister’s visit will be an opportunity to deepen the cooperation between Beihang and South African universities and research institutes in talent cultivation and scientific research.
Minister Nzimande thanked Beihang for the warm hospitality. He said he felt honored to visit Beihang during his visit to China for the 2024 FOCAC Summit to discuss the cooperation between South Africa and China in higher education and science and technology innovation. He pointed out that during the Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, laying a good foundation for South Africa to carry out high-level practical cooperation with China’s first-class universities and scientific research institutes such as Beihang University. Beihang has distinctive characteristics in aeronautics, astronautics, satellite navigation and other disciplines, with strong teaching and research strength, and the two sides have carried out fruitful cooperation in the field of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. In the future, the Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa will continue to support South African universities and research institutes to carry out practical cooperation with Beihang, and promote the two sides to collaborate in joint cultivation of talents, academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation, as well as professional training.
On the occasion of their meeting, President Wang Yunpeng and Minister Nzimande jointly unveiled the “China-Africa Joint Laboratory on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and Remote Sensing Applications".
During the visit, Minister Nzimande also met with Sibusiso Bekana, a South African student studying for a PhD degree in computer science at Beihang University.
Written by: Gao Yuan, Jin Tian
Photos by: Di Bailu
Reviewed by: Weng Jingnong
Edited by: Jia Aiping
Translated by: Lu Meili, Lyu Xingyun
