North Campus, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, December 13th, 2021: On the morning of December 13th, the delegation of the Consulate General of France in Guangzhou visited GDUFS. SHI Youqi, President of GDUFS, warmly welcomed the guests in the Administrative Building. Both sides exchanged views on cooperation in French language education and talent cultivation.

Delegation of the Consulate General of France in Guangzhou visited GDUFS

SHI greeted the delegation and introduced GDUFS with a focus on its history, campus construction, talent cultivation and French teaching. He pointed out that GDUFS, as a major base of international talents’ cultivation and the research for foreign language and culture, foreign trade cooperation and international strategies in south China, has a cooperative relationship with 481 universities and institutions across 60 countries and regions. He stressed that GDUFS is dedicated to cultivating high-level French language professionals who were both specialized and versatile. In fact, the French major has been a top major at GDUFS and was among the first to be certified as a national first-class major in 2019. To date, GDUFS has signed cooperative agreements with the University of Nantes, the ESC Rennes School of Business and 22 other French universities and colleges in French, management, economics and trade majors. Among them, the International Organization Innovation Class on International Economics and Trade offered by the School of Economics and Trade is an integrated international education program of "Bachelor + Master” established in cooperation with French universities. The Covid-19 pandemic has had negative effects on international communication, but GDUFS has been reacting attentively to explore new methods of contact. SHI looks forward to a higher level of cooperation with French universities and more cultural exchange between the two countries.

Consul General Sylvain Fourriere extended his heartfelt gratitude for GDUFS’s warm welcome and spoke highly of the teaching characteristics and the quality of talent cultivation at GDUFS. He recognized the significant role of bilinguists in Chinese and French in facilitating Sino-French communication and cooperation in all realms. He expected to further enhance cooperation with GDUFS to cultivate interdisciplinary talents to make greater contributions to fostering Sino-French relations.

Relevant officials from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, the School of Economics and Trade, the Faculty of European Languages and Cultures, and the School of International Relations attended the meeting.