A dialogue between Chinese and Italian university presidents was held at Peking University on Nov 9.

Hosted by China's Ministry of Education and Italy’s Ministry of University and Research, the event brought together representatives from around 50 universities from the two countries to discuss collaboration in higher education, joint innovation and high-quality talent development.

Wang Dinghua, secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, speaks at a parallel forum of the dialogue between Chinese and Italian university presidents. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Wang Dinghua, secretary of the CPC Beijing Foreign Studies University committee, spoke at the parallel forum titled "Civilization Inheritance and Innovation: The Future Missions of Higher Education".

In his address on strengthening educational collaboration and innovation to promote Sino-Italian cultural exchanges, Wang underscored the role of global educational cooperation as a significant driving force for innovation.

BFSU, he said, has established collaborative mechanisms with more than 10 Italian universities, including Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Naples L'Orientale and the University for Foreigners of Perugia, achieving fruitful results.

To enhance Sino-Italian educational cooperation, Wang suggested leveraging the BFSU Artificial Intelligence and Human Languages Lab and the UMOOCs platform to promote advancements in AI, translation and online education.

He said work should be done with Italian universities to expand student and faculty exchanges and develop micro-major programs combining foreign language studies with industry-specific skills in response to global workforce demands.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang encouraged both countries' universities to actively engage in educational and cultural exchanges, fostering effective, practical cooperation and reinforcing the longstanding friendship between the two ancient civilizations.

BFSU and the University for Foreigners of Perugia sign a cooperation agreement. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

The dialogue included a signing ceremony for Sino-Italian university partnership projects, where Wang represented BFSU in signing an agreement with the University for Foreigners of Perugia.

Italian students at BFSU participate in the launch of the Italian segment of the “Doubling the Scale of European Youth Exchanges in China” initiative. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Later that evening, Italian President Sergio Mattarella delivered a speech at a gathering at Peking University, which was attended by Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university.

Italian students at BFSU participated in the launch of the Italian segment of the “Doubling the Scale of European Youth Exchanges in China” initiative and took part in the student performance session. They also attended a parallel student forum, where they discussed topics such as the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the role the younger generation plays in sustainable development and how Chinese and Italian students can play positive parts in their communities and on their campuses.