MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) - On 6 July the Great Stone industrial park hosted a Belarusian-Chinese forum of business, scientific, media and cultural cooperation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China. The event was attended by high-ranking officials of the two countries, prominent scholars and cultural figures, BelTA learned from the press service of the Education Ministry.
In her welcoming speech, Belarusian Deputy Education Minister Irina Starovoitova noted that today cooperation in education between Belarus and China is moving along the lines of the bilateral political and economic dialogue, actively gaining momentum. The two heads of state laid the foundation of these relations. Thanks to their efforts, a huge potential for the development of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation has been created. “For our part, we will make every effort to ensure that productive cooperation in education is growing stronger for the benefit of our countries. It is education that creates the intellectual, scientific, creative and technological potential and thus the basis for the sustainable social and economic development of the states and is the guarantor of the social stability of society,” she stressed.
Thanks to joint efforts, the Belarusian-Chinese cooperation has been gaining momentum both in terms of dynamics and content. Thus, the legal framework featuring five intergovernmental and inter-ministerial agreements in education has been supplemented by about 500 direct cooperation agreements between the educational institutions of the two countries. Belarus and China have launched more than 20 joint bachelor's programs and over 10 master's programs. There are two joint educational institutions and four scientific laboratories at educational institutions of the two countries.
The implementation of an important initiative in the Belarusian-Chinese relations – the Year of Belarus' Education in China – was an important stage in the development of the bilateral cooperation. The parties worked together closely in organizing many meaningful events that brought together students and the youth of Belarus and China.
The Education Ministry attaches great importance to popularization of the Chinese language and providing more opportunities for studying it in Belarus. There are specialized Confucius institutes, units, and classes as well as Chinese language centers at Belarusian higher education institutions.
“These achievements show us that we have chosen the right path and motivate us to find new breakthrough forms of interaction that will enable us to bring our cooperation to a higher level,” Irina Starovoitova added.
Around a dozen and a half speakers delivered their reports during the forum, sparking active discussions among the participants. The program of the forum also included a tour of the research center of the Great Stone industrial park.
