On March 8th, Chen Xu, Chairperson of the University Council, met with Madame Sophie D’Amours, the Rector of Laval University of Canada, at Gongziting. They had in-depth communication on the topic of the further promotion of educational and research cooperation between Tsinghua and Laval.

Chen Xu extended her welcome to Madame D’Amours, and introduced recent developments in Tsinghua, including the comprehensive implementation of its Global Strategy. Chen noted that Tsinghua is committed to promoting Sino-Canadian exchange and collaboration in education and research, and thereby making a contribution to people-to-people exchanges and the bilateral relation of the two countries. Tsinghua has been conducting cooperation with multiple Canadian universities in various forms, including faculty and student exchanges, joint programs, and collaborative research, which have already yielded fruitful results.

Chen Xu also noted that Tsinghua and Laval are engaged in the step-by-step construction of a plan of cooperation in line with the development of the two universities. At this moment the collaboration in key areas such as electronic engineering has already unfolded. Chen believes the relation between Tsinghua and Laval will be upgraded to a higher level, once the exchanges become more frequent and the collaborative projects are steadily implemented. Laval University has a long history and a diverse cultural background, being the oldest center of higher education in Canada, and the first North American institution to offer higher education in French. Tsinghua hopes to strengthen joint education with Laval, with the aim of equipping the students with a global vision and enhancing their global competence.

Madame D’Amours noted that Laval attaches importance to the promotion of its international development. The university is dedicated to providing a platform on which its faculty and students have access to opportunities to improve their communication and leadership skills in a multicultural context. Laval highly values its cooperation with Tsinghua, and she hopes the collaboration in electronic engineering makes further progress.

After the meeting, Madame D’Amours visited the Department of Electronic Engineering, and spoke to the researchers.