Education cooperation a relationship cornerstone
Education cooperation between New Zealand and Chinese institutions is now an important part of the two countries' relationship
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters' speech at Shihezi University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China on May 22
President Xiang, Secretary Zhou, members of the Foreign Affairs office of Xinjiang, Professor Alex Chu from Massey University, Ambassador, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
There can be few better places to talk about the importance of education to the relationship between our two countries than here at Shihezi University - a partner in an innovative cooperation programme of which a New Zealand University, Massey, forms an integral part.
Shihezi is an impressive institution. It boasts a comprehensive university with over 29,000 students across 20 academic colleges. It has particular strengths in agricultural science and technology, medical studies and botanic research, and hosts more than 20 research institutes supported by the Chinese and Xinjiang provincial governments.
It has achieved all of this already, despite being in an area that is still to reach its full economic potential. With such an outstanding research record, Shihezi may well grow to be a national leader in its specialist fields.
Recognising that there are a number of high-potential institutions like Shihezi in the west, the Chinese Ministry of Education has shown considerable foresight in establishing the University Partnership Programmes.
Under these programmes, western universities benefit from the experience of the more established east coast institutions, while both western and east coast institutions benefit from research and teaching complementarities.
Adding in a New Zealand institution offers a further, international dimension, making the partnership a tripartite one.
In 2005, Massey University Vice-Chancellor Judith Kinnear signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which Shihezi, Massey and Peking University agreed to work together to share their expertise and perspectives.
This is not a superficial arrangement. It is a carefully formed partnership that capitalises on common strengths across the institutions - for example, the focus in agriculture and agricultural technology shared by all three partners.
It should also be noted that another New Zealand university, Auckland, has established a similar high-quality partnership with Tsinghua and Qinghai Universities.
Programmes such as this illustrate two important points about our bilateral relationship, and the place of education in that relationship.
First, international co-operation between our two countries is in no way limited to the work of our governments. It is a sign of a truly vibrant relationship when institutions of two countries independently seek out and establish mutually beneficial partnerships of their own.
Governments certainly help to build bilateral relationships, but ultimately the strength of the bond between any two countries rest on how much the individual citizens, institutions and businesses of one country value those of the other.
Without doubt, co-operation between educational institutions in areas including study exchanges, research, people-to-people links and even commercial development, have played a key role in building that bond between New Zealand and China.
Such bonds pay dividends. Relationships built through education are some of the most significant and most enduring because they are based on long-term, co-operative interactions, often including sustained periods during which students or scholars are emerged in each other's countries, cultures and communities.
There can be few better opportunities to develop mutually beneficial business, cultural and social connections than for our future leaders to undertake some of their education in each other's countries.
Secondly, this type of cooperation says something about the commitment of both China and New Zealand to a broad, in-depth, education partnership.
New Zealand and New Zealand institutions recognise that a sustainable relationship is built on helping each other to grow.
While there are many advantages in Chinese students spending some time learning in New Zealand, we recognise that there are also great benefits, for both sides, in helping Chinese universities to develop their existing strengths here in China.
For New Zealand, it opens up links that will allow even more of our students to come to China and to learn from a country whose economic, and now social and cultural growth, is helping to redefine our world.
Another example of a commitment to a broader, deeper partnership is the work between Wintec and Peking University's No.3 Hospital, which last week resulted in the launch of a new joint midwifery programme.
Instead of simply inviting Chinese students to New Zealand to learn midwifery based on the New Zealand curriculum, Wintec worked closely with Peking to develop a curriculum that takes the best of New Zealand practice and blends it with the particular needs of the Chinese environment.
This has produced a programme designed to directly meet China's needs for highly-skilled midwives. It will train top midwives here in China to prepare them to work on the ground.
So, it is educators that have taken the initiative to form their own bilateral relationships, and it is educators who have taken the lead in developing broader, deeper relationships that better respond to each other's needs.
Once again, thank you for hosting us here today, and allowing us to see first-hand the benefits of China-New Zealand cooperation. We wish you all the best for the programme's future.
---------------------------------
Foreign Minister Winston Peters' speech at Shihezi University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China on May 22
President Xiang, Secretary Zhou, members of the Foreign Affairs office of Xinjiang, Professor Alex Chu from Massey University, Ambassador, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
There can be few better places to talk about the importance of education to the relationship between our two countries than here at Shihezi University - a partner in an innovative cooperation programme of which a New Zealand University, Massey, forms an integral part.
Shihezi is an impressive institution. It boasts a comprehensive university with over 29,000 students across 20 academic colleges. It has particular strengths in agricultural science and technology, medical studies and botanic research, and hosts more than 20 research institutes supported by the Chinese and Xinjiang provincial governments.
It has achieved all of this already, despite being in an area that is still to reach its full economic potential. With such an outstanding research record, Shihezi may well grow to be a national leader in its specialist fields.
Recognising that there are a number of high-potential institutions like Shihezi in the west, the Chinese Ministry of Education has shown considerable foresight in establishing the University Partnership Programmes.
Under these programmes, western universities benefit from the experience of the more established east coast institutions, while both western and east coast institutions benefit from research and teaching complementarities.
Adding in a New Zealand institution offers a further, international dimension, making the partnership a tripartite one.
In 2005, Massey University Vice-Chancellor Judith Kinnear signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which Shihezi, Massey and Peking University agreed to work together to share their expertise and perspectives.
This is not a superficial arrangement. It is a carefully formed partnership that capitalises on common strengths across the institutions - for example, the focus in agriculture and agricultural technology shared by all three partners.
It should also be noted that another New Zealand university, Auckland, has established a similar high-quality partnership with Tsinghua and Qinghai Universities.
Programmes such as this illustrate two important points about our bilateral relationship, and the place of education in that relationship.
First, international co-operation between our two countries is in no way limited to the work of our governments. It is a sign of a truly vibrant relationship when institutions of two countries independently seek out and establish mutually beneficial partnerships of their own.
Governments certainly help to build bilateral relationships, but ultimately the strength of the bond between any two countries rest on how much the individual citizens, institutions and businesses of one country value those of the other.
Without doubt, co-operation between educational institutions in areas including study exchanges, research, people-to-people links and even commercial development, have played a key role in building that bond between New Zealand and China.
Such bonds pay dividends. Relationships built through education are some of the most significant and most enduring because they are based on long-term, co-operative interactions, often including sustained periods during which students or scholars are emerged in each other's countries, cultures and communities.
There can be few better opportunities to develop mutually beneficial business, cultural and social connections than for our future leaders to undertake some of their education in each other's countries.
Secondly, this type of cooperation says something about the commitment of both China and New Zealand to a broad, in-depth, education partnership.
New Zealand and New Zealand institutions recognise that a sustainable relationship is built on helping each other to grow.
While there are many advantages in Chinese students spending some time learning in New Zealand, we recognise that there are also great benefits, for both sides, in helping Chinese universities to develop their existing strengths here in China.
For New Zealand, it opens up links that will allow even more of our students to come to China and to learn from a country whose economic, and now social and cultural growth, is helping to redefine our world.
Another example of a commitment to a broader, deeper partnership is the work between Wintec and Peking University's No.3 Hospital, which last week resulted in the launch of a new joint midwifery programme.
Instead of simply inviting Chinese students to New Zealand to learn midwifery based on the New Zealand curriculum, Wintec worked closely with Peking to develop a curriculum that takes the best of New Zealand practice and blends it with the particular needs of the Chinese environment.
This has produced a programme designed to directly meet China's needs for highly-skilled midwives. It will train top midwives here in China to prepare them to work on the ground.
So, it is educators that have taken the initiative to form their own bilateral relationships, and it is educators who have taken the lead in developing broader, deeper relationships that better respond to each other's needs.
Once again, thank you for hosting us here today, and allowing us to see first-hand the benefits of China-New Zealand cooperation. We wish you all the best for the programme's future.