From November 17 to 22, a delegation headed by Zhang Jiyou, Executive Deputy Secretary of the CPC HNU Committee, conducted a successful visit to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The six-member delegation engaged in academic and cultural exchanges with local prestigious institutions, including the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Cairo University (CU), Suez Canal University (SCU), the American University of Sharjah (AUS), and the University of Dubai (UD). They also paid visits to Chinese embassies, community organizations, and overseas Chinese groups to enhance HNU’s global partnerships and promote international collaboration.
At AASTMT, the HNU delegation met with President Ismail Farag to discuss areas of mutual interest such as university internationalization, the League of Tropical Universities (LTU), and industry-university-research (IUR) integration. Two sides agreed to collaborate on marine technology innovation, smart port construction, joint education programs and research projects, and academic events. The visit culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a tour of key facilities on AASTMT’s Alexandria campus, including the Planetarium, Shipping Simulation Lab, and Marine Safety Research Center.
HNU delegation meeting with AASTMT President Ismail Farag (Photo by Zhang Youliang)
HNU signing an MOU with AASTMT (Photo by Wang Ni)
HNU delegation visiting AASTMT’s Marine Safety Research Center (Photo by Zhang Youliang)
At Cairo University, the delegation was warmly received by Prof. Mahmoud Elsaid, Vice President for Research Affairs. Zhang introduced HNU’s recent achievements and the progress of LTU, and invited CU to join the League as a founding member and participate in the 2025 annual meeting. Two sides reached consensus on enhancing educational and research collaboration in tropical agriculture and forestry, biodiversity, and artificial intelligence (AI). After the talks, the delegation paid a visit to CU’s Confucius Institute and met with its faculty and student representatives.
HNU delegation meeting with CU Vice President Mahmoud Elsaid (Photo by Zhang Youliang)
HNU delegation visiting CU’s Confucius Institute (Photo by Wang Ni)
At Suez Canal University, the delegation met with its President Prof. Nasser Mandour, and Vice President for Research Affairs, Prof. Mohammad Zaglu. The talks highlighted HNU’s contributions to China’s national strategies and regional economic development, as well as the progress of LTU. SCU was invited to join the League, and both sides agreed to collaborate on such areas as tropical agricultural pest control and the development and application of innovative building materials for high-temperature, high-humidity environments. After signing an MOU for cooperation, SCU formally joined the LTU. The delegation also toured the SCU’s Egyptian-Chinese College for Applied Technology (ECCAT) and Confucius Institute.
HNU delegation visiting SCU
HNU signing MOU with SCU (Photo by Wang Ni)
HNU visiting ECCAT (Photo by Wang Ni)
During the visit to Egypt, the delegation met with Lu Chunsheng, Education Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, and introduced HNU’s international programs and contributions to Global South educational cooperation in higher education. Additionally, they met with Wang Peizhong, President of the Egypt China General Association, to explore collaboration in agriculture, aquaculture, energy, civil engineering and joint higher education programs.
HNU delegation meeting with Lu Chunsheng (Photo by Wang Ni)
In the UAE, the delegation visited the American University of Sharjah (AUS), where they met with representatives from the College of Engineering, the Office of International Study and Exchange and the Department of International Studies, and introduced HNU’s recent achievements and the progress of the LTU, and invited AUS to join the League. Their interaction also focused on engineering solutions for extreme environments, particularly in civil engineering and architecture. Prior to the talks, the delegation toured its College of Engineering, student activities center and library.
HNU delegation visiting AUS (Photo by Zhang Youliang)
HNU delegation visiting AUS’s library (Photo by Zhang Youliang)
At the University of Dubai (UD), Zhang Jiyou met with Vice President Nasser Almuraqab to discuss the role of higher education in free trade port development. Two sides explored opportunities for collaboration in AI applications for agriculture and marine engineering, agreeing to pursue academic exchanges, collaborative research and joint education programs. The delegation also toured UD’s Confucius Institute and College of Engineering.
HNU delegation meeting with UD Vice President Nasser Almuraqab (Photo by Zhang Youliang)
HNU delegation visiting UD’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) Lab
The delegation concluded their UAE visit with a meeting at Hainan Chamber of Commerce in UAE. They explored the opportunities and challenges for Hainan’s free trade port initiative based on Dubai’s experience and discussed in-depth how to promote HNU’s internationalization, knowledge transfer, and services for overseas Chinese.
HNU delegation visiting the Hainan Chamber of Commerce in UAE
The visit to Egypt and the UAE reinforced HNU’s strategic role as an “active builder, think tank, incubation center and talent pool” for Hainan’s free trade port development and in-depth reforms in all respects. The achievements align with HNU’s vision of becoming a comprehensive, research-oriented and internationalized university and a key driver of the LTU.
The delegation members included Yang Zhixin, Director of HNU’s Organization Department, and representatives from the School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, the School of Marine Science and Engineering, the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, and the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange.
Source from Office of International Cooperation and Exchange
Translated by Han Yunsheng
Proofread by Kuang Xiaowen, Yang Jie
