On April 28, ECUST welcomed a delegation of 28 university leaders from 21 Ecuadorian universities, accompanied by representatives from the CORPORACIÓN ECUATORIANA PARA EL DESARROLLO DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN Y ACADEMIA (CEDIA, also known as Ecuadorian Association for Research and Academic Development). The visit, one of the largest and most high-level delegations from Ecuador to China in recent years, highlights growing educational ties within the Global South.

ECUST Vice President, Professor Zhu Weihong extended a warm welcome and introduced ECUST’s strengths in engineering, information science, and business. He emphasized the university’s commitment to international collaboration through faculty and student exchanges.

Ecuadorian spokesperson Cecilia Alexandra, President of Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), also expressed strong interest in practical cooperation with Chinese universities like ECUST.

Dean of College of International Education, Mr. Li Xiaopeng, shared delegates with vivid demonstration of “Study at ECUST” ecosystem, containing unique Joint Multi-Degree program, to diverse short-term program such as Advanced Innovative Talent workshops. The innovative approaches and cases aroused delegates’ heated discussion and exchange.

After productive discussions, both sides agreed to explore signing institutional MOUs and establishing regular exchange mechanisms. The delegation also toured ECUST’s Nobel Prize Joint Research Center.

This visit opens new doors for ECUST students interested in cross-cultural learning and research collaboration with partners in Latin America. Students can look forward to more exchange programs, joint projects, and global networking opportunities as ECUST continues to build bridges across continents.