Emphasizing the need for joint collaboration in higher education, H.E. Sun Weidong, Ambassador of People’s Republic of China in India urged the Indian and Chinese governments to “support and facilitate ways of academic cooperation and exchanges between the two countries by creating new opportunities, establishing platforms and providing support for universities in both countries.” He was addressing a scholarly gathering to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Centre for China India Studies (CICS) at the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU).
He also shared the news of a high-level delegation meeting between India and China and the possibility of mutual degree recognition. “A high-level delegation from the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development went to China and met the senior officials of the Ministry of Education to have the first meeting of a joint working group. The two sides reached consensus on the various ways in the education field including discussing the details of mutual degrees’ recognition agreement between both countries which will surely benefit more students to study in each other’s countries after the signature of the agreement.”
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To help jointly achieve world-class institutions in India and China, the Ambassador also mooted the idea of establishing India-China centers at various universities in both countries. “The universities of the two countries should consider the establishment of a China-India University Alliance so that we can all share advantages, have joint exchanges and research programs and work together for a better education outcome which will benefit our faculties and students by improving teaching quality and help achieve world-class level universities.”
In his Keynote address, he appreciated the efforts of CICS in promoting India– China relations including academic exchanges, talks, and conferences. To further the reach of bilateral understanding in the field of higher education he proposed the establishment of such centers in other Indian universities too, for better understanding of the Chinese language, culture, and history. “We think language is the key to understanding. There are more and more young people in India who would like to study Chinese culture and language. We are willing to help Indian universities establish centers and provide a platform for Indian students to learn the Chinese language and understand Chinese culture and history,” he said.
Welcoming the Ambassador to JGU the Founding Vice-Chancellor Prof (Dr) C. Raj Kumar congratulated CICS on its ceaseless efforts to promote India-China relations. On the need to build stronger ties between the two countries he said, “We cannot rely upon governments alone to build a stronger connect between India and China. We as academic institutions, thinkers, scholars, students, researchers have a bigger responsibility that goes beyond any government to strengthen this partnership.”
The following session on the Indian Ambassadors’ Panel Discussion on the “Future India-China Relationship” included Mr. Vijay Nambiar, former Ambassador/High Commissioner of India to Algiers, Afghanistan, Malaysia, China and Pakistan and Former Permanent Representative at India’s UN Mission in New York; Mr. Anil Wadhwa, Distinguished Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation and the former Ambassador of India, Italy, Poland, Oman and Thailand with Mr. Suresh Goel, Distinguished Fellow, Society for Policy Studies and former Ambassador of India to Lao People’s Democratic Republic & Former Director-General of Indian Council of Cultural Relations.
The session was chaired by Dr. Mohan Kumar, Professor and Vice-Dean – Global Initiatives and Institution Building (GIBS), Jindal School of International Affairs and the former Ambassador of India to France, who helmed the intellectual discussion by not only introducing the esteemed panelists but also to share their views on the current scenario and context of India-China relations.
The week-long celebration commemorating the 5th Anniversary of CICS witnessed events ranging from India-China Art Exhibition, Artist Dialogue, and Workshop, Ambassadors’ Panel discussion on India-China Future Relationship, Cross-culture Dialogue on Gender Equality in India and China, Distinguished Public Lecture on various themes. The event witnessed the participation of students, faculty, artists, dignitaries from both countries.
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