A delegation of politicians, civil servants and party officials from Jiangsu, an eastern-central coastal province of China, came to BCU on Tuesday 7 January on a fact-finding mission prior to the fifth UK-China Regional Leaders Summit in Birmingham in February.
The delegation was made up of 22 officials including the mayors of Rudong County, Haimen City and Changshi City - Chen Huiyu, Guo Xiaomin and Jiao Yafei, respectively. The Chief of Education at Jiangusu Administration Institute, Sun Wenhua, was also among the visitors.
The group was given a tour of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the new STEAM incubator facility in Millennium Point, which is due to open in February. The delegates also met with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Julian Beer.
Julian Beer said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to welcome a high powered government delegation from Jiangsu province. It was a great opportunity to showcase what we do at the University in terms of social governance, and highlight our role as ‘the University for Birmingham’ in the city and the wider region.
“I was especially pleased that they liked and spent a good deal of time talking about the importance of our STEAMhouse initiative.”
More than 700 Chinese and UK regional leaders and senior government officials, as well as business leaders and university representatives, are expected to attend the UK-China Regional Leaders Summit, which will take place in Birmingham from 17 – 19 February. During the summit both nations will discuss green energy, food security, education and health, among other hot topics.
Pictured: Chinese delegation with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Julian Beer (centre, second row) in Millennium Point.
