He also met with leaders and representatives from the university’s Saïd Business School, the Department of Engineering Science, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute (COI) at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, all of which established partnerships with academic and research institutions in China.
During his visit to COI, Zheng highlighted that science has no national borders, and said he wished that the institute achieve more and greater accomplishments to contribute to China-UK technological cooperation and improvement of global welfare.
Ambassador Zheng said: ‘China will remain firmly committed to the openness of education. We encourage the students to study abroad. They can be pillars of Chinese society in the future, and they can also be great bridges of communication, friendship, and collaboration between China and the rest of the world.’
As China’s first medical sciences institute in the UK hosted by the University of Oxford, the COI offers many opportunities for cooperation and exchange. For example, each year, Chinese students enrolled in eight-year medical courses at 14 medical universities in China will be selected to pursue doctoral studies at the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Oxford, according to Professor Tao Dong, Ita Askonas Professor of Translational Immunology and Co-Director of the COI.
The ambassador also met with Chinese students studying at the university and listened to their experiences as international students, while encouraging them to broaden their knowledge and capacity, promote friendship and goodwill during their stay in the UK, and make contributions to closer exchanges and cooperation between China and the world.