On March 10, the opening ceremony of the first “The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road” (hereinafter referred to as B&R) Advanced Seminars for Textile Industry International Cooperation in Production Capacity was held in Donghua University (DHU). 20 trainees, including executives of textile enterprises, senior engineers of relevant institutions and university teachers from 5 countries along “B&R,” i.e., Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uzbekistan and Albania, will have a three-week exchange and learning in Donghua University, as well as a deep discussion with respect to the development frontier and international cooperation of textile industry and the current status and prospects of China’s textile and apparel industry. Mulie Tarekegn Edlie, Consulate General of the Federal Democratic Re-public of Ethiopia in Shanghai, Lin Yunfeng, Deputy Director of China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), Liu Chunhong, Vice President of DHU, and other relevant officials attended the ceremony. Reporters from China News Agency, ICS, China Daily, Shanghai Daily and other media made a on-the-spot coverage.
(Vice President Liu Chunhong delivered a speech)
Liu Chunhong said, in recent years, by relying on the advantages of characteristic disciplines including textile, fashion and materials, DHU has worked together with several overseas universities and domestic and foreign institutions to develop international education of textile, which plays an active role in promoting “B&R” national exchanges, actively serving the development of textile industry and international cooperation pertaining to production capacity. She hopes that the trainees, through this seminar, will strengthen mutual understanding and deepen the consensus, further becoming a messenger of China-foreign friendship as well as a pioneer in international cooperation of textile industry.
It is learnt that this seminar will comprise 4 modules, i.e., development frontier and international cooperation of textile industry, city spirit of Shanghai, Chinese culture and system and research into China’s textile and garment industry, with strong support from CNTAC, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Shangtex Holding Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Sunshine Group. The lecturers include Zhao Xiaolin, the first Dean of Confucius Institute at Moi University, Yan Chengzhong, a representative of 12th National People’s Congress, and Professors Qiu Yiping, Gu Qingliang and Xu Ming. The trainee Aida Veliaj from the University of Albania stated, “I feel deeply honored to be able to participate in the seminar, from which I believe I will benefit a lot, and I also hope that through the platform we will strengthen the cooperation with various fields of China’s textile industry, promoting mutual understanding and win-win cooperation.”
It is traced back to ancient China when the Silk Road found its way in the world map, depicting the moving story of friendly exchanges and mutual benefit between people worldwide. In September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to jointly build the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and gradually form the regional cooperation. DHU has long been rooted in the textile industry, conformed to the national development strategy and served the actual needs of enterprises. It began to recruit international students from 1954 and has cultivated a large number of textile talents, especially for countries along “B&R.” In 2016, DHU enrolls more than 4,700 international students from over 140 countries. In 2010, it joined the China-Africa 20+20 Education Cooperation Program, focusing on cultivating high-end talents in the global textile field, and in 2015 set up the world’s first Confucius Institute featuring textile and organized the China-Africa Textile Forum. In 2016, DHU co-initiated the scheme of “B&R” Advanced Seminars for Textile Industry International Cooperation in Production Capacity, successfully declared the special funds for “B&R” from Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, actively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative with advanced seminar program as the guide.
