China, Holland seek more educational cooperation

BEIJING -- A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the Chinese and Dutch education authorities on Tuesday, with the focus on Sino-Dutch education policy dialogue, and student and researcher exchange.

The agreement was revealed by Jet Bussemaker, Netherlands minister of education, culture and science, during the promotional "Xperience Holland Day" at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

"China and the Netherlands have a 30-year history of cooperation in the fields of education and science. We have been exchanging students and teachers, and I was one of them when I was lecturing in the 1990s in China," she said.

"Since then, we have realized many research programs and projects."

Bussemaker said she looks forward to more collaboration in education with China, because "cooperation holds great promise to the future."

Speaking about the Xperience Holland Day, she said, "This is a great event that gives the Chinese more opportunities to learn about the universities we have in the Netherlands."

It featured information booths on study in Holland as well as on its food, language and culture, and screenings of Dutch films and documentaries.

These activities provided a platform for Dutch people and universities to interact with the Tsinghua community and invest in future collaborations and exchange between China and the Netherlands, according to Aart Jacobi, Dutch ambassador to China.

Hu Xihao, a senior student studying information design at Tsinghua, said she hopes to do a graduate program in Holland.

"I made several Dutch friends through this activity, and they told me more about Holland, which made me more determined to go there," she said.

"We firmly believe that interaction among the younger generation will help to bridge cultural gaps and address the common global challenges we are facing today," said Chen Jining, president of Tsinghua University.

According to Chen, the university has established close academic links with many prestige counterparts worldwide, including those in the Netherlands.

"I'm sure that Dutch students will fall in love with Tsinghua University, not only for its campus but also for its culture and environment. And Tsinghua students will find Dutch universities one of the best places to go," Chen added.