On July 7, MA Xiaojie, Secretary of the Party Committee of Lanzhou University (LZU), met with James FISHER, Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Australian Embassy in China, and his entourage at the Chengguan Campus.

MA extended sincere welcome to FISHER on his second visit to LZU after a two-year interval. He recalled the pleasant experience of his first visit to the university in October 2024 when they jointly attended the Forum on Climate Future and Smart Agriculture. He pointed out that China and Australia have witnessed frequent high-level exchanges in recent years. Consensus has been reached and mutual trust enhanced through meetings and dialogues, charting the course for higher education cooperation between the two countries. He hopes to further deepen strategic cooperation between LZU and Australian universities. By taking the approved Sino-foreign cooperative education programs as a pivot, LZU and Australian universities can forge a high-standard model for international talent training and higher education integration between China and Australia. It is also essential to establish a long-term collaborative ecosystem integrating science, education and research. Academic exchange platforms should also be built to serve exchanges and mutual learning in science, education and research, MA said.

FISHER thanked LZU for its warm reception and fully acknowledged the fruitful cooperation achievements between the university and Australian universities. He stated that leaders of China and Australia attach great importance to the role of educational exchanges in bilateral relations. LZU boasts distinctive strengths in western ecological research and arid zone studies, which are highly complementary to Australia’s scientific research resources, leaving broad room for joint research. The Australian Embassy in China will continue to act as a bridge for LZU’s international exchanges, fully support joint education programs, joint scientific research and youth scholar exchanges and practical cooperation, FISHER said.

During the meeting, MA and FISHER watched a feature documentary which records students from the University of Southern Queensland participating in LZU 2026 International Summer Program. The documentary vividly presents in-depth exchanges and mutual learning among young students from both sides.

After the meeting, FISHER held discussions with faculty of LZU who will participate in the 2026 Youth Scholar Exchange Program to Australia.

Also present at the events were officials from the Foreign Affairs Office of Gansu Provincial People’s Government, as well as officials and scholars from other departments of LZU.