Enriching Exchange Opportunities in “Belt and Road” Regions

To echo the Hong Kong government’s initiative for promoting educational exchanges between Hong Kong and the nearby countries along the Belt and Road (B&R), the Office of Global Education (OGE) has set the goal of encouraging more Lingnan students to move out of their comfort zones to explore these countries spanning Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

We are actively exploring strategic partnerships in the B&R regions. Led by Professor Sharma Shalendra, Associate Vice-President (Academic Quality Assurance and Internationalisation), our delegations visited mainland China, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Poland and Taiwan to connect with existing and new partners in the B&R regions to explore more opportunities for academic and cultural exchange collaboration. We have made fruitful achievements in establishing these new connections to facilitate students’ mobility in the B&R regions.

Professor Sharma Shalendra, Associate Vice-President (Academic Quality Assurance and Internationalisation) (centre), meeting with Professor Sean Xu (left) and Professor Qian Xiaojun (right), Associate Deans of the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University in mainland China

Professor Sharma Shalendra, Associate Vice-President (Academic Quality Assurance and Internationalisation) (centre), meeting with Ms Sylwia Rutkowska, Vice-head of International Programmes Office, Cracow University of Economics (left) in Poland

In Summer 2016, we will continue to subsidise our students to participate in the summer programme “Doing Business in Russia” to be offered by Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics. This 2-week intensive summer programme is tailored for international students to experience Russia as a player in the global economy and to understand the special characteristics of the Russian Business environment. Our students will attend theoretical courses and talks by guest speakers from the business sector and take part in field trips to targeted enterprise. Through this unique learning experience in Russia, our outgoing exchange students will gain an insight into the Russian mentality, culture and business climate and deepen their understanding of Eastern Europe.

Group photo of participants in the Summer Programme of Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics in 2015

In addition to this summer programme in Russia and other overseas summer programmes, OGE aims to engage our students with China by arranging a wide spectrum of summer programmes in mainland China for students to experience the university life and culture of some of the top universities. 70 students will visit the B&R regions during Summer 2016, representing a significant growth of more than 50% compared with Summer 2015. These exchange opportunities maximise students’ learning experience and raise their cross-cultural awareness during their exploration in the major developing economies along the B&R, nurturing them with an international outlook and ability to thrive in a globalised world.