Before the symposium, Yu Minming, Secretary of the CPC SWJTU Committee met with Hai-Sui Yu, Interim Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds, and his entourage. After a warm welcome extended to the Leeds delegation, he said that the success of collaboration is a fruit of the university’s international strategy and a crucial pillar of international exchange. With the 10th anniversary of the Joint School as a new beginning, he expected to further the strategic cooperation between the two universities and to forge a new version of the collaborative model, i.e., the Joint School V2.0. The two universities exchanged gifts to commemorate the anniversary, and Leeds presented SWJTU with a padlock symbolizing the unbreakable bond and the joint efforts in the pursuit of excellence.

At the symposium held immediately after, Yan Xuedong, President of SWJTU and Deputy Secretary of the CPC SWJTU Committee, reflected on the long-standing partnership between the two universities and highlighted that the University of Leeds is SWJTU’s most important international partner. Over the past decade, their mutually beneficial collaboration has continuously enhanced the reputation and influence of the Joint School. Yan Xuedong suggested to advance the exchange and cooperation between the two universities and to set the Joint School as an exemplary and innovative project for China-UK educational collaboration by leveraging the locational strength of SWJTU’s Eastern (International) Campus and the favourable policies of the central and local governments in Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle.

Hai-Sui Yu regarded SWTJU as an important global strategic partner for the University of Leeds. The Joint School has been and will continue to be one of the most crucial international cooperation platforms for the University of Leeds. Both parties have made substantial achievements in talent development and research cooperation in the operation of the Joint School. He proposed to further the collaboration on Ph.D. and master’s programs, faculty exchanges, joint research, and the establishment of joint research laboratories.

The agreement signed at the symposium serves as a starting point of the new collaborative endeavour of the two universities.