Source: Office of International Cooperation and Exchange
Written by: Office of International Cooperation and Exchange
Proofread by: Ian Heuer
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On the morning of September 7, 2016, the Director of the British Council in South China, Mr. Ralph Rodgers, led a delegation on a visit to Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). The meeting was hosted by SYSU Vice President Professor Li Mengfeng, who was joined by Prof. Huang Yao, Dean of SYSU’s School of Law, Ms. Xu Yao, Deputy Director of SYSU’s Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, as well as other colleagues from the Department of Education Administration and the Human Resources Department.

The meeting was substantive and wide ranging, beginning with Vice President Li Mengfeng welcoming Mr. Rodgers to SYSU. Vice President Li introduced the history and campus construction at SYSU and provided an overview of the University’s large array of relationships and collaborative programs with UK-based higher education institutions. Mr. Rodgers followed these remarks by emphasizing that academic relationships and exchanges are the best way to foster understanding and friendship between people across the globe. Both sides discussed avenues for collaboration, including jointly applying for research funding, taking advantage of British Council English training programs for teachers, and expanding collaboration in fields such as medicine, law, and the sciences.

The British Council was founded in 1934 to create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries around the world. The Council works in more than 100 countries, providing programs and services in the English language, the arts, education and society. In China, the British Council also serves as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, meaning that in addition to directing the British Council’s South China Office, Mr. Ralph Rodgers also serves as the Culture and Education Consul at the British Consulate in Guangzhou.