On the afternoon of October 14th, a delegation of four from the Friendship Association of Cape Verde and China (FACVC) paid a visit to GDUFS. FANG Fanquan, Vice President of GDUFS, welcomed them in the VIP Hall on the first floor of the Administration Building on the North Campus. Other attendees were YANG Ke, Dean of Faculty of European Languages and Cultures; YI Zongyong, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange; WEI Huibin, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Chinese Language and Culture and HE Yuanyuan, Lecturer in Portuguese of the Faculty of European Languages and Cultures.

FACVC is an association created in 2011 and aims to accelerate the non-government relationship between Cape Verde and China. Its members have rich experience in studying and working in China. And the purpose of this visit was to promote mutual cooperation in education. The members of the delegation were Jose Correia, President of FACVC; João Vieira, President of the General Meeting of Friendship Association and Architect; Francisco Mendes, Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Cape Verde in China and Mario Vicente, Delegate of Cape Verde in the Forum of Portugal and China.

Jose Correia (left) and FANG Fanquan (right)

After the mutual greetings, Jose Correia recalled the tremendous achievements of the cooperation between FACVC and GDUFS in the past few years. He then mentioned the Confucius Institute of University of Cape Verde. It was established in December 18th, 2015 and has gained great progress in promoting Chinese learning in Cape Verde. He pointed it out because both sides have built up a close relationship and plenty of activities are conducted smoothly. A teacher sent by GDUFS in the Confucius Institute could even speak some Portuguese and sing some simple Portuguese folk songs. Obviously they have integrated into the local life step by step, which means a good opportunity for further cooperation in education and other areas. In fact, they hoped that the number of the students from Cape Verde sent to GDUFS could rise and the students could obtain scholarships. Similarly, they welcomed GDUFS to choose some students to Cape Verde to spend summer or winter holidays there and gain first-hand learning experience.

Vice President FANG Presenting Souvenirs to the Delegation

Vice President FANG listened carefully to Jose Correia’s talk. He first appreciated the great contributions FACVC have made, and the full support of the people and government in Cape Verde. Then he promised that GDUFS would endeavor to support student exchanging between Cape Verde and China, which is beneficial to clear up misunderstandings and close the gap.

Group Photo

This year is a special year for both Cape Verde and China. It is the 40thyear of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Cape Verde and China. Also, from February 5th, 2016 to April 25th, 2017, it is the friendly exchange year between the two sides. Hence, much deeper cooperation between FACVC and GDUFS can be expected in the near future.