On the afternoon of November 29, Nick Thomas, Minister (Culture and Education) at the British Embassy China and Director, China at the British Council, China , and Li Rui, Senior Manager of Educational Cooperation of the Cultural and Education Section, British Consulate-General in Chongqing, visited Chengdu University (CDU). Wang Qingyuan, President of CDU, cordially met the esteemed guests. They had an in-depth discussion on further strengthening exchanges and cooperation between British higher education institutions and CDU in the field of culture and education.

Wang Qingyuan welcomed Minister Nick Thomas and briefed on the general situation and recent development of CDU. He pointed out that CDU focuses on the international development strategy and actively opens up to the world to provide more opportunities for students to study abroad. The joint establishment of the Stirling College with the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom is one of the important achievements of CDU's internationalization strategy. Wang expressed his gratitude to the British Embassy China for its trust, particularly for its help and support in establishing the computer-based IELTS test center. He also expressed expectations to join hands with the British Embassy in China to further expand comprehensive and substantial cooperation between CDU and British universities. The aim is to build a closer exchange and cooperation platform for teachers and students from both sides, foster resource sharing and complementary advantages, and nurture a greater number of talented individuals with international outlook and cross-cultural communication competencies.

Minister Nick Thomas expressed his gratitude to the university for its warm reception and briefly introduced the recent work of the British Council. He fully affirmed the successful collaboration between CDU and British universities, emphasizing that it was a great honor to jointly build the computer-based IELTS test center with CDU. He said that the British Council has been committed to enhancing cooperation with China in recent years and is willing to build a platform for two-way cooperation and exchanges between CDU and British universities.

At the symposium, representatives from both sides had in-depth exchanges on facilitating mutual exchanges of teachers and students, fostering cooperation between universities, and promoting joint scientific research between the two countries. They finally reached a preliminary consensus regarding these aspects.

After the symposium, the delegation led by Minister Nick Thomas visited the Stirling College and the computer-based IELTS test center of CDU. Heads from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, College of Overseas Education, and Stirling College attended the above activities.