On the morning of April 15, Paulau Liavontsi, vice-rector of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Belarus (UoG), and his colleagues visited Lanzhou University (LZU). SHA Yongzhong, vice president of LZU, met with the foreign guests. The two sides engaged in discussions on deepening inter-university cooperation and promoting connectivity in higher education between China and Belarus.

SHA welcomed the guests. He noted that under the guidance of the China-Belarus all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have continued to deepen and yield tangible results. He acknowledged UoG’s strong academic foundation in both natural sciences and social sciences, and emphasized the high complementarity between the two universities’ disciplines and the broad prospects for cooperation. He expressed LZU’s willingness to take the joint construction of the Belt and Road as a bond, and work with UoG to expand short- and long-term exchange programs for faculty and students. The two universities can enhance cross-cultural understanding through language programs, and support joint research and seminars in areas such as international Chinese language education, ecology, area and country studies, and Dunhuang studies. They can also leverage platforms such as the University Alliance of the Belt and Road to co-organize academic events, contributing educational wisdom to deepening China-Belarus friendship and cooperation.

Liavontsi praised LZU’s academic excellence and pragmatic approach. He stated that UoG attaches great importance to its partnership with LZU and is ready to work with it to translate consensus into concrete actions, carrying out cooperation in areas such as of faculty and students exchange, joint training programs, collaborative research, and language and cultural promotion. He looks forward to facilitating the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the two universities during the upcoming first Belarus-China Regional Forum. This will become a starting point to promote a stable strategic relationship between the two institutions across a wider range of fields, he said.

Also present were leaders of LZU’s Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Gansu Province, and the Gansu Provincial UNESCO Association.

News Background

Located in northwestern Belarus, UoG is the second largest comprehensive university and consistently ranks among the top three universities in the country. Founded in 1940, the university offers a full range of disciplines and has a strong international presence, with 45 English-taught programs and approximately 17,000 students, including about 2,500 international students from 27 countries. Known for its academic rigor, the university is accredited by the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) and is one of the first universities in Belarus to receive ISO 9001 international quality management system certification. It has received the Belarusian Government Award for Quality Achievement on multiple occasions and is highly recognized by European countries. Its outstanding teaching quality and research excellence have earned it a strong reputation in the world.