On the afternoon of December 16, Wuhan University (WHU) and the University of Aberdeen (UoA) held an online conference, on which the two universities signed a dual-degree agreement on translation studies and a new funding agreement for the Confucius Institute of UoA. Professor Michael Macleod from UoA hosted the meeting. Along with her were Vice-Principal Richard Wells, Transnational Manager Dr. Stephen Hill, Prof. Mike Beaney, etc. In attendance at WHU were Vice President Li Fei, Director of the Office of International Affairs Li Xiaoshu, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Literatures Ma Xiao and relevant officials.
Vice President Li Fei(third from the left) and Dean Ma Xiao (second from the right) showing the signed agreements
Before signing agreements, Vice President Li Fei delivered a speech on behalf of WHU. He summarized the cooperation between the two universities over the years and expressed his gratitude to UoA staff for operating the Confucius Institute dedicatedly even when the university had to switch to online education in 2020.
On behalf of UoA, Vice-Principal Richard Wells depicted the vision of the two universities for cooperation in 2021 and expressed the UoA’s willingness to cooperate with China’s prestigious universities to become a more international university.
Prof. Chris Collins (at the bottom-left) signed two agreements on behalf of UoA.
Dr. Li Xiaoshu introduced 2021’s financial support plan for the Confucius Institute of UoA. While Prof. Macleod overviewed the Institute’s events in 2020, such as the Chinese New Year celebration, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Edinburgh Ma Qiang’s visit to Aberdeen, Chinese Bridge Competition, etc. She shared that the global pandemic is both a challenge and an opportunity, since the Institute’s online activities also worked effectively.
Looking ahead to the cooperation of the two sides in 2021, Prof. Mike Beaney, Regius Chair of Logic, a scholar studying Chinese philosophy, described his possible visit to Wuhan in 2021 as a “homecoming trip”. As the visiting scholar to Peking University, Prof. Beaney enjoyed learning about Chinese culture and language and was impressed by Chinese people’s hospitality. “I want to head to Wuhan right now,” said Prof. Beaney.
Dean Ma responded that he was also looking forward to more Aberdeen professors coming to WHU to teach and exchange. He pointed out that the cooperation between two universities could also expand to Ph.D. education.
The online meeting ended in applause. Aberdeen staff said goodbye in Chinese. Both parties are looking forward to the more fruitful cooperation in the new year.
Photo by: Xi Bingqing, Pan Jiachang
Edited by Qin Zehao, Wei Yena, Qin Shihan and Hu Sijia
