ISLAMABAD, Dec 09 (APP): Tianjin Foreign Studies University (TFSU), China is hosting ‘Advanced Training Programme for senior academics and administrators from Pakistani Higher Education Institutions’ as part of the activities being carried out under the CPEC Consortium of Universities.

The opening ceremony of the programme was graced by President TFSU Ms. Li Yingying; Vice President TFSU Mr. Zhu Pengxiao; Deputy Secretary-General China Association of Higher Education Ms. Gao Xiaojie; an Director International Exchange Officer Tianjin Municipal Education Commission alongside Ambassador of Pakistan to China Mr. Khalil Hashmi and Director General (Global Engagement Division) HEC Pakistan Ms. Aayesha Ikram. The participants included faculty from all over Pakistan, said a press release here on Tuesday.

Addressing the ceremony, President TFSU Ms. Li Yingying emphasized the significance of collaboration between the HEC Pakistan and the China Association of Higher Education and appreciated the two entities for strengthening the programme.

She said the training programme is a crucial example of cooperation in the field of education under the guidance of the CPEC.

She underlined that the training serves to share knowledge, promote educational development, and strengthen people-to-people exchange and friendship between our two nations.

She observed that we are living in an era profoundly reshaped by artificial intelligence, and we look forward to taking this training as an opportunity to deepen the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of AI education and jointly paint a new picture of cultural mutual learning in the AI era.

Representing HEC Pakistan, Director General (Global Engagement) HEC Aayesha Ikram expressed gratitude to the hosts for facilitating the two-week Advanced Training Programme for the Pakistan Higher Education Delegation.

She noted that China holds a special place in the hearts of the Pakistani people, with bilateral relations rooted in mutual respect, trust, and a shared vision for progress.

She said the delegation was eager to learn from China’s remarkable achievements in education, technology, and innovation, while also experiencing the country’s rich culture and warm hospitality.

Ms. Ikram highlighted the long-standing academic cooperation between Pakistan and China, underscoring that the partnership has strengthened significantly over the years.

She noted that through HEC’s Overseas Scholarship Programme alone, more than 300 PhD scholars and numerous postdoctoral researchers have been supported to pursue advanced studies in China.

She added that collaborative initiatives under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), including the establishment of the CPEC Consortium of Universities and the China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University, reflect the depth and breadth of the partnership.

Deputy Secretary-General China Association of Higher Education Ms. Gao Xiaojie stressed that the programme underscores the “Iron Brother” friendship between China and Pakistan, forming the valuable foundation for cooperation in higher education.

She revealed that since the establishment of CPEC Consortium of Universities in 2017, the consortium has grown from 18 to 130 member institutions, focusing on collaborative research, capacity building, and talent development in fields like AI, international engineering, cultural modernization, and regional studies. Right now, with the high-quality construction of the “Belt and Road” entering the “Two Point Zero era,” we are focusing on innovation, particularly on AI education, which is highly timely. This programme aims to seize the opportunities of the intelligent era by training personnel in AI and information technology, promoting practical cooperation between scholars in frontier fields such as AI and smart manufacturing, and deepening cross-disciplinary collaboration in research areas like agriculture, IT, medicine, and social development.

Other notables also addressed the session, while a video address of Ambassador of Pakistan to China Mr. Khalil Hashmi was played on this occasion, wherein he underlined the friendship and strategic partnership between Pakistan and China in various fields including the higher education sector.

The CPEC Consortium of Universities is a collaborative academic platform established jointly by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan and the China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) to strengthen higher education cooperation between Pakistan and China under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).