On December 10, BSU staff participated in the 6th Global Forum "One Belt - One Road", organized by one of the China's largest higher education institutions, Lanzhou University.
The conference was focused on the prospects for global education, science, technology and innovation cooperation in the New Silk Road countries, as well as on the role of environmental projects in science and production.
Rectors and Vice-Rectors of 75 universities from 23 countries (China, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, the USA, Canada, etc.) took part in it. Russia was represented by only two universities - Baikal State University and Penza State University, which has a long hisstory of cooperation with Lanzhou University.
Vice-Rector for International Relations of BSU, Mikhail P. Kuz'min, represented the university at the event. The topic of the presentation was the role of the Irkutsk region and BSU in the development of Russian-Chinese scientific and educational cooperation.
"The Irkutsk region plays an important role in the development of Russian-Chinese relations. This is due to its geographical location in the system of traffic flows, historical and cultural specificity, religious and spiritual diversity, as well as the presence of unique natural sites of global significance. The leadership of the region maintains friendly relations with Beijing, Shanghai, and such China provinces as Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jilin and Hebei. Almost all the educational institutions of the region carry out international activity with educational institutions of the PRC. Baikal State University plays a special role in this area", noted Mikhail P. Kuz'min.
In the framework of the event there was a signing ceremony of BSU joining the Alliance of Universities of the Belt and Road Initiative (the University Alliance of Belt & Road), which is one of the main platforms for the development of scientific and sducational cooperation according to the same-name strategy and the Chinese-Russian Treaty of Good Neighbourliness and Friendship ( https://en.lzu.edu.cn/static/Belt_Road ).
"We are glad that one of the leading Russian universities, Baikal State University, has become a member of our Association. I believe that university's joining the Alliance is an important element of its development, strengthening cooperation between the Alliance members and strategic cooperation between China and Russian", said Mr. Li Yuming, Vice-President of Lanzhou University.
Mikhail P. Kuz'min emphasized that Baikal State University will contribute to the all-round development of the University Alliance and Russian-Chinese relations. Considering the fact that the Alliance is a global platform uniting 170 universities of the world, we all have new opportunities to develop cooperation at the interuniversity, inerregional and global levels.
Note: The main goal of the "One Belt - One Road" University Alliance, established in 2015 at the initiative of Lanzhou University in China, is to support the development of comprehensive cooperation between higher education institutions in the countries along the Silk Road. The Alliance currently has 173 members from 30 countries (China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, the United States, etc.). Lanzhou University in Gansu province has the functions of the General Secretariat.