Source: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Written by: Ian Heuer
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

A delegation from the University of Bristol and Bristol city government visited Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) recently. The Bristol delegation was led by Professor Erik Lithander, Vice President for International Affairs at the University of Bristol. Accompanying Professor Lithander were Mr. Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol city, Mr. Michael Rous, Consul General of the United Kingdom in Guangzhou, and various other representatives from the University of Bristol and Bristol city, as well as the Guangzhou city government.

The SYSU representatives were led by Professor Ma Jun, Vice President of SYSU. He welcomed the delegation by mentioning that Guangzhou city and Bristol city have a partner city relationship, and as the largest research universities in each city it is very important for SYSU and the University of Bristol to expand their cooperative relationship. Professor Lithander agreed, noting that he sees great potential for a broad range of cooperative programs with SYSU, including student exchange, joint training, and construction of research platforms. Mayor Rees added that comprehensive research universities play vital roles in the comprehensive development of cities and regions, and that he believes SYSU and University of Bristol working together would provide benefits not just to the universities, but to their respective home communities as well.

After the meeting with Vice President Ma Jun, the University of Bristol and Bristol city delegates met with representatives from SYSU’s Department of Education Administration, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, and various schools and departments to discuss the possibility of signing a university-level student exchange agreement.

The University of Bristol is a red brick research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1909. The University of Bristol is organized into six academic faculties composed of multiple schools and departments running over 200 undergraduate courses and is ranked 37th among world universities by the QS World University Rankings 2016. Bristol is a city (and county) in South West England with an estimated population of 449,300 in 2016. It is England's sixth and the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city.