From November 30 to December 3, 2017, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, the Governor of Panama Province, Republic of Panama, Rafael Pino-Pinto, took part in the CPC high-level dialogue with world political parties. On December 3 and 4, Rafael Pino-Pinto specifically led a team to Tianjin University (TJU) to visit the Panamanian students here and to promote education cooperation. The Secretary of the Party Committee of TJU, Li Jiajun and the Vice President, Yuan Yingjin met with the foreign guests.
Party Secretary Li welcomed Rafael Pino-Pinto and his party on behalf of the University. He briefly introduced the history of TJU, the construction of the new campus, the advantages of the discipline, the development of scientific research and the process of internationalization. He hoped this was an opportunity to carry out exchange and cooperation with universities in Panama and to attract more students from Panama to study at TJU.
Vice President Yuan briefly introduced the guests to the history and culture of Tianjin and provided general information about TJU’s colleges and schools. He hoped the meeting would break new grounds for bilateral cooperation. Chen Zhihua, Dean of the School of International Education, introduced TJU students' studies and living environment, hoping to recruit more students from Panama.
Rafael Pino-Pinto said he was very pleased to visit TJU. He was very proud to be the first Governor of Panama Province to visit TJU. He thanked TJU for receiving students from his country and cultivating them. As a representative of the government, he hoped that the universities in Panama would deepen education cooperation with TJU.
During the visit, the guests toured the TJU History Museum, the Zheng Dong Library and the construction planning sand table of the new campus. They talked with the international students from Panama to learn about their life at the university.
On June 13, 2017, China resumed diplomatic relations with the Republic of Panama. In July 2017, TJU received 20 Panamanian students.
By: Deng Jiewen, Wang Kai
Editors: Sun Xiaofang and Ross Colquhoun
