On April 23, President ZHANG Dayu of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA) signed an academic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Zambia. The two sides will work closely together in areas of joint international student training, applications for China-Africa joint laboratories, and development of the Belt and Road Architectural University International Consortium (BRAUIC). The event was also attended by BUCEA Vice President CHEN Zhaohui along with department and school headrs from both universities.
President ZHANG warmly welcomed Vice Chancellor Mundia Muya and his delegation. He noted that this year marks the 61st anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Zambia and the 50th anniversary of the TAZARA Railway, making this partnership especially meaningful. BUCEA is a multi-disciplinary university with a clear focus on architecture and a strong foundation in engineering, excelling in fields such as urban design, architectural heritage conservation, and civil engineering. He also noted that this MoU signing represents the beginning of formal cooperation between the two sides, and expressed hope that the two sides will work under the umbrella of the BRAUIC to deepen collaboration in talent development, scientific research, and industry-academia cooperation, explore innovative ways to jointly train international engineering talents, in order to contribute to building a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future through educational cooperation, and create a future of shared benefits.
Vice ChancellorMundia Muya thanked BUCEA for the warm reception. He noted that the University of Zambia is the largest and oldest university in the country, with partnerships established with over 200 universities and institutions worldwide. The university places great importance on working with Chinese universities, having established joint research centers and Confucius Institutes that serve as vital platforms for China-Zambia cultural exchanges. He also highlighted China’s global leadership in infrastructure technology and praised BUCEA’s academic strengths in architecture and civil engineering. He expressed hope that this agreement will open doors for BUCEA to take part in the establishment of a new School of Built Environment at the University of Zambia and explore multi-dimensional, in-depth collaboration and exchange mechanisms in student and faculty exchanges, talent cultivation, and joint research, in order to promote resource sharing and complementary strengths between the two sides.
Before the meeting, the delegation toured the BUCEA Daxing Campus Library and laboratories.
