Rector Jun Liu attends the 4th Forum for Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, signing cooperation agreements to promote educational exchanges

Organized by the Macao SAR Government Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), the opening ceremony of the 4th Forum for Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries was held in Macao yesterday. This year’s forum themed “Empowerment Through Technology and Interconnection Through Language — Macao-Hengqin Synergy in Joint Cultivation of Chinese-Portuguese International Talent”, drew over 150 leaders and representatives of higher education institutions and organizations from Portuguese-speaking countries, including Portugal, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Timor-Leste as well as from the Chinese mainland and Macao to discuss international talent cultivation and new pattern of higher education cooperation. 

As one of the event co-organizer, City University of Macau (CityU) Rector Jun Liu was invited to attend the opening ceremony and hosted the sub-forum. On the same occasion, CityU signed cooperation agreements with three universities from Portuguese-speaking countries and Chinese mainland, jointly advancing international cooperation in Sino-Portuguese higher education and further deepening the practical collaboration in talent cultivation, academic research and faculty-student exchanges.

 

As one of the event co-organizer, City University of Macau (CityU) Rector Jun Liu was invited to attend the opening ceremony and hosted the sub-forum. On the same occasion, CityU signed cooperation agreements with three universities from Portuguese-speaking countries and Chinese mainland, jointly advancing international cooperation in Sino-Portuguese higher education and further deepening the practical collaboration in talent cultivation, academic research and faculty-student exchanges.

 

Officiating guests included O Lam, secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR); Lyu Yuyin, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR; Gao Yuan, director of the Department of Information and Public Diplomacy at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the MSAR; Kong Chi Meng, director of the DSEDJ; Xie Ying, deputy secretary-general of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation Between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macao); Eduardo Velasco Galiano, consul-general of the Republic of Angola in Macao; Rodrigues Victorino Muebe, consul-general of Mozambique in Macao; Astrigilda Silveira, president of the AULP and rector of the University of Cape Verde; Jian-Kang Zhu, president of the Macau University of Science and Technology; Yonghua Song, rector of the University of Macau; Zhou Zhongrong, rector of Macao Polytechnic University; Jun Liu, rector of the City University of Macau; Alejandro Salcedo Garcia, acting rector of the University of Saint Joseph; and Wang Xin, vice president of Shanghai International Studies University.

 

The Forum is running For three days, featuring three sub-forums to be held as the Macau University of Science and Technology on topics including ‘Pooling “Bilingual+Professional” International Talent’, “AI-Empowerment Humanities Communication in New Media”, and “Promoting the Institutional Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture into Higher Education Programs in Portuguese-Speaking Countries”. In addition, a visit to the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin will also be organized for visiting university leaders and representatives from Portuguese-speaking countries and the Chinese mainland to learn about the master plan for the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town, as well as the “Macao+Hengqin” development paradigm.

 

 

During the Forum, Rector Jun Liu hosted a sub-forum and had a deep discussion on the topic of ‘Pooling “Bilingual+Professional” International Talent’ with António José da Cruz Belo, president of Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon (Portugal); Petrilson Pinheiro, director of the Institute of Language Studies at State University of Campinas (Brazil); Wang Xin, vice president of Shanghai International Studies University; and Ren Mengshan, vice president of Communication University of China.

 

President António José da Cruz Belo emphasized the priority of student mobility mechanism to lower the barriers of cross-border learning, so that young students can become high-quality professionals promoting the development of bilateral relations, through immersive cultural and technological practices.

 

Dean Petrilson Pinherio proposed deepening faculty-student exchanges in the areas of Portuguese teaching, language policy, linguistics and scientific research innovation, carrying out research projects and academic activities, and working together to build a long-term cooperation for the cultivation system of Sino-Portuguese bilingual compound talent.

 

Vice President Wang Xin proposed that through dual-degree programs, and programs such as “multilingual+AI”, and “multilingual+ country-specific studies”, it can help Chinese enterprises going global and international brand network building, and explore a talent cultivation pathway that shift from instrumental language to building bridge for humanistic dialogue.

 

Deputy President Ren Mengshan pointed out that the Communication University of China established a combinative cultivation philosophy of “multilingual competence, interdisciplinary knowledge, multi-dimensional practical literacy”. He highlighted the core objective of advancing the dialogue between Chinese and Portuguese-speaking civilizations to explore innovative pathways including multilingual digital storytelling and international events co-organization.

 

Rector Jun Liu suggested cultivating bilingual talents who possess both global vision and local identity, promoting the inter-institutional mobility and deepening university-industry collaboration, and building an effective bridge that connects language learning with social application. Together with four guests, he focused on key issues such as bilingual cultivation pathways in professional curricula, industry-academia bilingual practice platforms, and integration of extracurricular activities with bilingual teaching. They shared insightful views and engaged in interactive Q&A with the audience, promoting and opening up new pathways for deepening talent cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in the field of education.

 

During the agreement signing section, CityU signed the memoranda of cooperation with University of Cabo Verde, the Pedagogical University of Maputo and the Communication University of China under the witnesses of the guests. This signing not only marks the solid step forward in international educational cooperation, but also helps to promote cross-regional academic research and people-to-people exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and trust among diverse cultures, and jointly create a new stage for higher education cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

 

Other CityU faculty members also presented at the opening ceremony. They were Dean Alves José Lopes Camilo Da Costa and Assistant Professor Miguel Baptista Nunes from the Faculty of Business; Associate Professor Vera Borges from Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; Assistant Professor Lopes Simões João Pedro from the Institute for Research on Portuguese-Speaking Countries; and Head of the Office of Global Affairs Wu Cheng.