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Beijing Foreign Studies University launched its first off-campus branch in Foshan, Guangdong province, on Friday, in a bid to link intellectual research and regional development.
"BFSU has strength in foreign language teaching and foreign economic research, which is an asset for the city's industrial transformation," said Peng Long, president of the university.
The South China Institute of BFSU plans to focus research on providing services to industrial production, and it will establish at least eight industrial and cultural communication bases, including Sino-European ones. A German Studies Center was also launched.
The university will start recruitment in September.
Foshan is known for its large number of traditional manufacturing industries. Unlike other cities in Guangdong such as Dongguan, Foshan focuses on nurturing local brands and developing local manufacturing industries.
"As a manufacturing hub, hundreds of manufacturing enterprises in Foshan need to upgrade to adjust to the economic transformation. ... As a result, we are aiming to learn from the world's most advanced manufacturing tycoon, Germany ... and BFSU has the natural strength to cooperate with Germany," said Liu Yuelun, Party chief of Foshan.
Sheng Jianxue, a senior official from the China Education Association for International Exchange, said, "China's local enterprises have paid expensive lessons for their internationalization", adding that the institute builds a bridge for communication between foreign and local enterprises.
Gerlind Heckmann, division director of the East Asian Economy and Trade Office of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, looks favorably on the cooperation between Foshan and BFSU.
"Mastering a language is very important in understanding a culture," she said.
luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn
