The second China-Cyprus Youth Forum, which took place on Tuesday at the University of Cyprus, focused on green growth and promoting friendship between the two countries.
The online forum was organised by the University of Cyprus, two Chinese universities (University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and Shihezi University), the Embassy of Cyprus to China and the Embassy of China to Cyprus.
Prodromos Prodromou, Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, whose address was delivered by Dr. Terpsa Constantinidou, Director of Higher Education of the Ministry, said that “our effort is to consolidate our cooperation through the signing of Agreements and Memoranda and by implementing relevant activities”.
He further added that a turning point was the signing of the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the fields of Higher Education and Science for the years 2022-2026. The Minister also said that “collaboration in Higher Education is a priority”, adding that “Cypriot and Chinese Universities can join forces to benefit from the numerous EU programmes”.
Professor Tasos Christofides, Rector of the University of Cyprus, said that the forum is the “confirmation of the continuous cooperation’’ between the University and the Embassy of China to Cyprus. He also spoke about the opportunities for cooperation between Cypriot and Chinese universities in the fields of education and research.
Liu Yantao, Ambassador of China to Cyprus, pointed out that the first anniversary of the China-Cyprus strategic partnership “shows the greater development and bright prospects of our bilateral ties in the new era.” He said that “China and Cyprus both pursue green transformation,” adding that Cyprus gives priority to climate change in foreign policy and emphasises green development in economic and social development, which is something that China “highly applauds”.
Furthermore, Yantao expressed China’s readiness “to enhance synergy with Cyprus Vision 2035 and implement the Global Development Initiative together with Cyprus,” as well as the readiness of his country “to deepen practical cooperation with Cyprus in green recovery, environmental technology, circular economy and clean energy, and implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
On his part, Tian Xuejun, Deputy Minister of Education of China, said that “over the past 50 years, the educational cooperation between the two countries has continued to expand, with remarkable achievements in the exchange of students, learning each other’s language and culture, and supporting each other in exchanges at the university, primary and secondary school levels.”
In particular, he added, Minjiang University of China established its International Digital Economy College in cooperation with European University Cyprus in 2021, the first cooperatively-run educational institution between China and Cyprus.
Xuejun expressed his hope that young Chinese and Cypriots will strive to be practitioners of green development, the inheritors of the friendship between the two countries, as well as contributors to global governance.
Martha Mavrommati, Ambassador of Cyprus to China, said that 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cyprus and constituted an “important milestone in our common history”, as three high-level meetings and exchanges took place between the two countries.
She explained that the first exchange was the decision of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades to elevate their countries’ relations into a strategic partnership. Shu further added that this was accompanied by visits of Chinese high-ranking officials to Cyprus and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in Higher Education between the two countries.
During the first session of the forum -which focused on green development-, speakers from China highlighted the evolution of Shihezi -which is located in Gobi Desert- and the progress made to achieve green development of the city. They also shared their experiences of green development and China’s efforts to balance between development and environment. Amongst others, efforts of Chinese government to reduce air pollution were highlighted.
On their part, speakers from Cyprus, including AKEL MP Marina Nicolaou, stressed the need to achieve sustainable development and take action against climate change and greenhouse emissions. They also shared experiences of Cyprus-China student exchanges and spoke about renewable energy sources.
During the second session of the forum -which focused on culture-, speakers from China talked about the characteristic features of Chinese culture and philosophy, tai chi and cultural communication, as well as aspects of traditional Chinese culture. On their part, speakers from Cyprus talked about communicating and creating networks in the ancient Greco-Roman world, the way different cultures can interpret the world, and focused on culture and education exchanges between China and Cyprus.
Source: Cyprus News Agency