On the afternoon of May 8, Liu Quansheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Qiu Yunfei, Deputy Director of its General Office, together with Fan Hua, President of the Mianyang People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Jia Lan, Vice President, Xia Han, Chief of the Friendship and Exchange Section, and Xie Wenwei, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Mianyang Economic Development Zone, visited our university for inspection and guidance. Zuo Dongmei, University Party Secretary and Provincial Government Supervisor, Liao Jiang, Deputy Party Secretary, and Zhong Xinchun, Vice President, together with relevant personnel in charge from the Party and Administration Department, Student Affairs Department, Foreign Affairs Office and Human Resources Department, as well as foreign teacher and international student representatives, attended the symposium and exchange activities.

At the symposium, Secretary Zuo Dongmei extended gratitude to the provincial and municipal people’s associations for friendship with foreign countries for their long-term care and support. She expressed the hope that the provincial association would continue to provide guidance and support in three key areas. First, further optimize the university’s “Art + Language” and “Art + Technology” international talent training models and bolster substantive cooperation with art institutions of Belt and Road partner countries. Second, help build a high-level international people-to-people and cultural exchange platform, and jointly launch cultural experience, art performance and academic residency programs for global youth. Third, strengthen the institutional development and professional training of foreign-related work to improve the foreign affairs capacity of the university’s administrative team.

Vice President Zhong Xinchun briefed the attendees on the university’s progress in international cooperation, faculty recruitment and development, international student education and featured brand activities. She hoped to receive strong support from the Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to help the university develop influential provincial-level foreign exchange brand events.

Foreign teachers from Nigeria and international students from Egypt shared their work and study experiences on campus and spoke highly of the university’s favorable campus environment and inclusive multicultural atmosphere.

President Liu Quansheng thanked the university for its warm reception and fully recognized the university’s remarkable achievements in international schooling. He introduced the historical evolution and development of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and put forward three cooperation proposals. First, jointly build an activity platform and incorporate the university’s international student cultural exchange activities into the brand system of "Study in China · Study in Tianfu". Second, give play to international students’ unique advantage of being familiar with both China and their home countries, recommend outstanding talents to work for Chinese enterprises going global, and give full play to their role as a bridge linking China and foreign countries. Third, further advance people-to-people diplomacy and promote two-way cultural exchanges with Laos, Morocco and other countries by leveraging the resources of the university’s overseas alumni associations. He emphasized that international students are an important bridge for China-foreign friendship, and expected the university to actively participate in people-to-people diplomatic activities to contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind. Before the symposium, Liu Quansheng and his delegation visited the School of International Exchange, the teaching and performance exhibition of the university symphony orchestra, and the 20th Anniversary Exhibition of the University at Wang Meng Literature and Art Museum.

Taking this research visit as a new starting point, the university will earnestly implement the work requirements of provincial and municipal foreign friendship associations, uphold the correct political orientation, and take the initiative to integrate into the overall opening-up layout of Sichuan Province. Giving full play to its distinctive advantages in art education, the university will deepen international people-to-people and cultural exchanges, tell Chinese stories through art, and connect the hearts of Chinese and foreign peoples with culture. It will strive to become an active practitioner of people-to-people diplomacy and an important promoter of China-foreign friendship, contributing the wisdom and strength of Sichuan University of Culture and Arts to the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.