On April 15th 2016, the last day of Australia Week in China, Australian Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck, along with his delegation, paid a visit to GDUFS. President ZHONG Weihe received the distinguished guests at Yunshan Cafe on the north campus. During the conversation, President ZHONG introduced the fruitful achievements GDUFS has made as a prominent internationalized university and the only foreign studies oriented university in the Campus Asia Project, which aroused Senator Colbeck’s great interest in further educational cooperation between Australia and China.

Senator Colbeck and President ZHONG in the middle of their conversation

Later, Senator Colbeck delivered an inspiring speech in the Lecture Hall of GDUFS library, entitled “The Australia China Partnership -- Transforming students”. At the beginning, on behalf of all faculties and students, President ZHONG extended a warm welcome to Senator Colbeck, who also serves as Minister for Tourism and International Education and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment. According to Senator Colbeck , Australia is ranked the third, after the United States and the United Kingdom, for attracting international students. To maintain and grow the global reputation, the universities and institutions of Australia strive to set a world class example in offering teaching, learning and researching opportunities. Considering the fact that China is the major source of international students in Australia and that China is the most popular destination for Australian students, great value has been placed on the education partnerships between the two countries. He predicted that the bilateral relationship will develop from strength to strength in the areas of trade, investment, education and tourism, as Australia is transitioning from a resources-based economy to one supported by a modern service sector that is fully integrated with global networks.

Senator Colbeck delivering a speech

In 2015, over one million Chinese tourists reached the shores of Australia, contributing greatly to Australian tourism income. Likewise, a great number of Australians traveled around China due to their interest in the “most wonderful culture on earth”. The blossom of the tourism industry in turn facilitates the educational exchanges. In the opinion of Senator Colbeck, education is halfway towards the prosperity of the communities. In this sense, receiving education in a multicultural environment would be a life-changing experience beneficial to both individuals and society. Since GDUFS has established cooperative relationships with University of Queensland, Queensland University of technology, Newcastle University, University of Wollongong, Deakin University among others, Senator Colbeck encouraged students to grasp the opportunity once they are qualified to study in Australia. After Senator Colbeck’s speech, Tao Xiaolei, an undergraduate who spent a year at Queensland University as an exchange student, shared her experience in Australia, recalling her memories surrounded by three key words: “diversity”, “potentiality” and “family”, which won laughter and applause among the audience.

TAO Xiaolei sharing her experience in Australia

In the Q&A session, Senator Colbeck answered various questions raised by GDUFS News and students in presence, which were related to the Free Trade Agreement, the Confucius Institutes, international education strategy, and so on. Representing the government, he promised a strong future for students who are involved in vocational education, which equips them with the skills required for their career. Moreover, he ensured that further people-to-people links, business-to-business links and institution-to-institution links will be built through multi-dimensional cooperation.

Journalist from GDUFS News asking questions

Before leaving GDUFS, he was interviewed by nine media from Guangzhou, namely: China Daily, Nanfang Daily, Yangcheng Evening News, Guangzhou Daily, China News Service, Guangdong TV, Southern Metropolis Daily, Information Times and News Express Daily.

 

Senator Colbeck being interviewed by the media

Among the attendees also included Dominic Trindade, Consul-General of Consulate General of Australia in Guangzhou; FANG Fanquan, Vice President of GDUFS; CAI Hong, Director of International Office and HU Wentao, Director of Publicity Department.