Invited by Professor Thomas Froehlicher (President of Rennes School of Business in France) and Dr. Gerald Reisinger (President of University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Austria), and approved by the Ministry of Education, Professor Yang Canming, President of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL), Professor Zhu Xinrong of the School of Finance, Professor Sun Qunli and Associate Professor Lu Yuanping of the School of Finance and Taxation, and Deputy Minister Fang Lei of the Department of International Exchange visited Rennes School of Business and University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, intending to promote the exchange and cooperation between overseas high-level universities, building a new platform for sino-foreign scientific research cooperation and improving the level and quality of international talent training. During the visit, President Yang and his party, together with representatives of Rennes School of Business, visited the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy in France.
ZUEL and Rennes School of Business had established a cooperative relationship since 2008. The two sides had made fruitful achievements in the intercollegiate student exchange program and the talent joint training program. In October 2018, the two sides agreed to deepen the cooperative relationship in scientific research and overseas school running. During the visit, President Yang Canming on behalf of ZUEL signed an agreement of "Sino-French Industrial Upgrading and Regional Financial Research Center" with Rennes School of Business, which set up an international platform for the overseas cooperation of ZUEL’s "Hubei Industrial Upgrading and Regional Financial Research Center". After signing the agreement, the two parties held a special working meeting on the work plan and content of the Research Center and reached a consensus to make the Research Center stronger by jointly training doctoral students, sending visiting scholars to each other, inviting each other to participate in academic conferences, jointly holding international academic conferences, and applying for research project together to carry out cooperative research. After in-depth exchanges, the two universities also signed a memorandum on cooperation in the construction of overseas campus projects. The French side gave the delegation a tour of the school's international campus. During the visit to Rennes School of Business, the ZUEL delegation visited our students studying there. President Yang Canming encouraged them to seize the opportunity of studying abroad, broaden their horizons, study hard, take care of themselves, and pay attention to study-life balance.
On March 20, the delegation of ZUEL, Board Chairman Francois Chatel and President Thomas Froehlicher of the ESC Rennes paid a visit to the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy in France and were warmly received by Minister-Counselor Yang Jin and comrade Gu Jinyu of the Department. Leaders of the two universities gave the Education Department a basic introduction of themselves, the status of cooperation and the plan of the two sides. Minister-Counselor Yang Jin expressed support for the high-level cooperation between the two universities and put forward three suggestions: first, the two sides should carry out substantive cooperation projects, which could refer to the project model of "Sino-French Institute of Engineers"; second, strengthen French teaching and focus on the cultivation of French talents, especially the integration of "French + professions"; third, with the "the Belt and Road Initiative", strengthen the tripartite cooperation among China, France and Africa, to cultivate high-quality talents and provide strong intellectual support for the implementation of the "Belt and Road Initiative". The leaders of both sides agreed that Minister-Counselor Yang Jin's proposal broadened the vision of cooperation between the two sides and pointed out a direction for future cooperation.
At the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, the delegation held a special meeting with Dr. Gerald Reisinger, President of University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Professor Andreas Zehetner, Vice President in charge of international affairs, and Professor Heimo Losbichler, Dean of the School of Management. The two parties agreed to jointly build an "Austrian Sub-center of the China Institute for Income Distribution", and signed a letter of intent for the co-construction of the sub-center. President Yang Canming, on behalf of ZUEL, awarded the plaque "Austrian Sub-center of the China Institute for Income Distribution" to Dr. Gerald Reisinger. This was the second sub-center established in foreign countries by our university's "China Institute for Income Distribution" (the first sub-center was established in the University of Novi Sad in Serbia in March 2017).