In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) held the 25th anniversary of the China-France "4+4" program from Oct 25 to 27. The event highlighted the achievements of educational cooperation between China and France, strengthened bilateral friendship, and further promoted the robust development of higher education between the two countries.

The China-France "4+4" program is a dual-degree partnership between nine Chinese and French universities. Senior officials, representatives and students from the nine universities participated in the event.

Wang Huan, deputy Party secretary of the CPC XJTU Committee, delivered the event’s opening speech, extending a warm welcome to all guests. She said that, over the past six decades, China and France have achieved remarkable progress in educational cooperation and cultural exchanges. The China-France "4+4" program is a vivid and practical example of China-France engineering education collaboration. Since the signing of the agreement in 1996, the program has received strong support from the education ministries of both countries, the China Scholarship Council, and the France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship Program. As a model program in international educational cooperation, it has earned widespread recognition from educational authorities and universities in both countries.

Wang Huan gives a speech during the opening ceremony.

Wang expressed hope that members of the China-France higher education community will work together to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and accelerate cultural exchanges through more "small yet smart" projects.

In his speech, Richard Perkins, director of International Relations at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, expressed hope that, with the renewal of the agreement, partner universities will continue to expand cooperation channels based on the existing program, encouraging more diverse student exchanges and promoting collaboration among faculty.

Bai Cheng, in charge of the partnerships with South America, Asia and Africa at Ecole Centrale de Lyon's International Relations and the lead representative for the French side of the China-France "4+4" program, provided a comprehensive overview of the program's 25 years of development and achievements.

She noted that the "4+4" program marked a new era of joint talent training in engineering education between China and France. Over the past 25 years, the program has cultivated over 1,200 outstanding engineers with dual-cultural backgrounds, proficiency in three languages, comprehensive and specialized skills, global vision, and innovation and leadership abilities.

During the sharing session, seven alumni vividly recounted their experiences studying and living in France, sharing their deep insights into the cultural exchange between the two countries. They expressed sincere gratitude to their alma mater for providing such a valuable exchange platform and wished the China-France dual-degree exchange program continued success in attracting more aspiring youth.

Each of the seven alumni receives a certificate as GEC-XJTU Alumni.