On April 14, 2024, H.E. Mr John Busuttil,Ambassador of the Republic of Malta tothe People's Republic of China visited theSouthern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). Qikun Xue, Presidentof SUSTech, and other representativesheld discussions with the guests.

President Xue extended a warm welcome toAmbassador Busuttil and introduced thecurrent state and future vision of SUSTechHe emphasized the long-standing and ami-cable relationship between China and Malta.spanning over half a century, and acknowl-edged the remarkable achievements madeunder “the Belt and Road Initiatives." President Xue expressed SUSTech's desire tostrengthen exchanges with Malta and promote collaboration in various fields, includinghigh-tech, financial services, marine servicesand sustainable development. HighlightingSUSTech's unwavering commitment to nurturing outstanding and innovative talentssince its establishment,President Xue expressed his hope for more frequent andcomprehensive interactions between facultyand students between two sides. He envi-sioned these exchanges fostering mutualearning, cultural appreciation, and contrib-uting to the further flourishing of the China-Malta friendship.

Ambassador H.E. Mr. John Busuttil highly appreciated the high-quality development ofSUSTech in a short period as a young university. He gave an overview of Malta and thecooperation between Malta and Chinese institutions. He mentioned that he was de-lighted to see the exchanges between thetwo sides in the field of academics duringthis visit. The Embassy of Malta in China hasalways regarded education as its top priorityand attached importance to the core value ofhuman resources. The Embassy of Malta inChina will continue to provide various support for the exchanges and cooperation between SUSTech and Malta in the future, andpromote indepth cooperation and exchangesbetween China and Malta in the field ofhigher education.

Mingwei Chen, Dean of College of Engineering, Ke Tang, Head of Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Jialin Liu, Assistant Professor of Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Hao Chen, Executive Deputy Director of SUSTech Globaljoined the discussion.