Poster for the exhibition A Look at a Hundred Years of History: One Hundred Years of Academic Exchanges between France and China Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Ministry of Education

 
A Sino-French higher education forum, jointly organized by the Chinese Ministry of Education and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, took place in Paris on Friday. The event attracted over 300 attendees, including officials, experts in higher education and youth representatives from both China and France. 

The forum officially launched a youth exchange initiative to welcome French students, which Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed when he jointly met the press with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris back in May. China will work to raise the number of French students studying in China to over 10,000 in the next three years, while doubling the scale of European youth exchanges in China.

Chinese Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng emphasized that the forum aims to deepen exchanges between universities in both countries, enhance cooperation in education and research, and strengthen the connection between education and industry, thereby advancing Sino-French educational collaboration.

French Minister of Higher Education and Research Sylvie Retailleau noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France and is also the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. She highlighted that the forum is a significant milestone in the history of educational cooperation between the two nations, which will boost university partnerships and facilitate student and scholar exchanges.

On the sideline of the forum, guests were also invited to visit an exhibition titled A Look at a Hundred Years of History: One Hundred Years of Academic Exchanges between France and China. 

Chinese students sent by the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and French students at the Cherbourg Naval Engineering School in France pose for photo. Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Ministry of Education

 
In the long history of friendly exchanges between China and France, educational exchanges hold a special place. After the Opium Wars, China extensively learned from Western scientific and technological achievements. In 1866, the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) established the Foochow Arsenal, and in 1877, sent the first group of Chinese students to study in France. 

The exhibition showcases the academic exchanges between the two countries through photographs of historic significance, such as a photo of Chinese and French students at the Cherbourg Naval Engineering School in France.