On May 16, at the invitation of the Scholarships Office of the UAE Presidential Court (SCO), ECUST Vice President Li Chunzhong, Dean Li Xiaopeng of the College of International Education, and other university officials attended a signing ceremony in Beijing. The event marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SCO and China’s first group of leading universities. Distinguished guests included H.E. Hussain Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to China; Juma Alremeithi, Director of the Scholarships Office at the UAE Presidential Court; Khaled Al Shehhi, Deputy Chief of Mission at the UAE Embassy in China; Eman Amer, Head of Media and Public Diplomacy at the UAE Embassy; Abdulla Alshebli, Director of Student Affairs at SCO; and representatives from seven prominent Chinese universities, such as Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Group photo at the signing ceremony
In his welcoming speech, UAE Ambassador H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi praised the achievements of China’s higher education system and reaffirmed the UAE government’s strong commitment to educational cooperation with China. He expressed hope that the scholarship program would promote high-level talent development and scientific research partnerships in areas like science, engineering, and public policy. He also highlighted the initiative’s potential to broaden university collaborations and provide a strong platform for academic exchanges between the youth of both countries.
On behalf of ECUST, Vice President Li Chunzhong signed the MOU with Juma Alremeithi, marking a new phase in educational cooperation between ECUST and the UAE. This milestone supports ECUST’s international development strategy, as the university plans to use its strengths in science and engineering to deepen collaboration with the UAE in talent training, research, and academic exchanges. These efforts contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative and strengthen cultural ties between China and the Arab world. Notably, ECUST currently hosts the largest number of UAE scholarship students among all Chinese universities.
Li Chunzhong and Juma Alremeithi signing the MOU
After the ceremony, ECUST representatives met with Ms. Eman Amer, Head of Media and Public Diplomacy at the UAE Embassy, for detailed discussions. They explored ECUST’s upcoming program, “Shanghai International Summer School: A Smart Journey in China - Global Competence Talent Training Program,” and discussed student exchange plans with the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). Ms. Amer expressed strong support for advancing student exchanges and research collaborations between ECUST and leading UAE institutions, injecting new momentum into China-UAE educational cooperation.
