On January 4, Badran Alomar, President of the King Saud University (KSU), and his delegation visited the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).

Qikun Xue, President of SUSTech, Li Jin, Vice President for Global Strategies and Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Ming Li, Former Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Secretary-General, along with heads of related departments at SUSTech, engaged in discussions with the guests.

Qikun Xue extended a warm welcome to Badran Alomar and his delegation. He expressed his gratitude for Badran Alomar's participation in the SUSTech International Advisory Council (IAC) and expectations for his support in the development of SUSTech. He acknowledged that the KSU's visit to SUSTech provided an important opportunity to strengthen international educational cooperation and promote academic exchanges, as outlined in the joint statement between China and Saudi Arabia.

Li Jin stated that it was an honor to witness a new phase in the collaboration between SUSTech and KSU. He emphasized the need for both parties to strengthen cooperation and expand various forms of collaboration to better face future challenges and opportunities.

Xiaohan Bi, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, presented background information about the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO. She expressed confidence in the future cooperation between the UNESCO-ICHEI and KSU, believing that through joint efforts, they would bring more opportunities for technological innovation in international education.

Badran Alomar acknowledged SUSTech for its scientific research results and campus environment. He expressed that both universities would strengthen their partnership in education, research, and other fields.

During the meeting, Li Jin introduced the development stages, education and research, SUSTech global, and strategic goals of the University.

Mezyad Alterkawi, President of the Global Engagement Office at KSU, introduced KSU's academics and development since its establishment in 1957. He later participated in discussions and exchanged views on specific areas of future collaboration with SUSTech.

After the meeting, SUSTech held a ceremony for Badran Alomar, who officially joined the SUSTech IAC, and honored him as an esteemed member of the Council.

Representatives from UNESCO-ICHEI, the College of Engineering, the Department of Mathematics, and SUSTech Global participated in discussions and exchanged viewpoints with the delegation from KSU.

By Zixu Wang

Photo By Jiahui Su

Proofread By Adrian Cremin, Yingying Xia