On March 5, 2023, H.E. Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, visited North South University (NSU) upon invitation, and met with Professor Atiqul Islam, Vice Chancellor of NSU. The two sides made in-depth exchanges on China-Bangladesh higher education cooperation, cultivation of students majored in Chinese and Bengali languages, and strengthening youth exchanges between the two countries.

Ambassador Yao said that cultural exchanges help promote people-to-people bonds, and educational cooperation consolidates bilateral friendship. China-Bangladesh relations have a solid historical, social and grass-rooted foundation. There lays great potential for educational and academic exchanges. As China optimizesits epidemic prevention and control policy, exchanges of personnel between the two countries have become more convenient. It is right the time to resume and increase visitsof education, academics and youth groups between the two countries.As one of the best private universities in Bangladesh, NSU enjoys a high reputation among academia for its advanced ideas of management, excellent teaching facilities and extensive foreign exchanges. NSU has always been active in cooperation with China. It is one of the first overseas institutions to set up a Confucius Institute. Having played an important role for years, NSU is expected to continue its persistent efforts to make new and greater contributions to our bilateral cooperation in higher education.

Professor Islam retrospected into the friendly relationship between China and Bangladesh that has lasted for more than a thousand years, and pointed out that the adjacent geographical location allows intensive people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. NSU attaches great importance to educational cooperation with China. He himself has visited China dozens of times and participated in programs hosted by China, such as the South and Southeast Asia University Rectors Forum. NSU is proud to have established the Confucius Institute. Encouraged by the resumption of personnel exchanges, he himself and NSU are both willing to further strengthen cooperation with Chinese universities and research institutions.

After the meeting, Ambassador Yaovisited the Confucius Institute at NSU and talked with the teachers and students there.

Ambassador Yao, together with more than 1000 teachers and students from NSU, watched the China-Bangladesh Culture and Art Day performanceorganized by theEmbassy of China in Bangladesh, supported by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Yunnan Provincial People's Government, and presented by the Kunming National Song and Dance Theater in cooperation with NSU students. Artists from the two countries jointly presented to the audience an audio-visual feast that fully demonstrated their respective national characteristics and cultures.

Mr. Yue Liwen, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy, Ms. Ma Xiaoyan, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at NSU, and others accompanied the visit.