On the afternoon of November 20, 2024, Alison Dell, Minister-Counselor for Education and Research from the Australian Embassy in China, along with Mary Russell, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, and their delegation, visited our institution. Dean Liu Binglian, together with relevant representatives from the International Exchange Office, the University's Exchange Department, and the Tianjin Foreign Affairs Office, warmly received the delegation.
Dean Liu Binglian extended a warm welcome to Alison Dell and her delegation. He began by guiding the guests on a tour of the China Regional Economic Applied Research Laboratory, providing a detailed overview of the significant achievements of the School of Economics and Development in the fields of industrial economics, regional economics, and logistics.
Following the tour, both parties engaged in in-depth discussions regarding the collaborative education program between Nankai University and Flinders University. Over the past 24 years of partnership, the two universities have achieved remarkable results in teaching and research, with the program's social influence steadily increasing. Dean Liu expressed his hope that the Australian Embassy in China would continue to support and enhance educational exchanges and cooperation between universities in both countries. In particular, he emphasized the need for stronger policy support in collaborative education programs to further elevate bilateral cooperation in the field of education to new heights.
Alison Dell fully recognized the achievements of the Sino-Australian collaborative education programs and commended the academic research capabilities of the School of Economics and Development. She highly praised the academic exchanges and research collaborations between the two universities. Dell inquired in detail about the practical challenges encountered during the implementation of the program and assured that she would engage with the relevant authorities to secure additional support for the partnership.
She highlighted the longstanding history of educational cooperation between Australia and China, emphasizing that the collaborative program between the two universities has made significant contributions to cultural and academic exchanges between the two countries. Dell noted that this visit marked the second specialized research activity conducted by Australian education authorities in the past two years focusing on exemplary Sino-Australian educational collaborations. Leveraging this visit as an opportunity, she expressed her commitment to further strengthening and deepening the cooperation and exchange between higher education institutions in both countries.
