Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Jet Bussemaker, visited Beijing from 24-26 March and successfully renewed the framework for education, cultural and scientific cooperation with China. A large education and science delegation accompanied the Dutch Minister consisting of the main umbrella organisations representing vocational schools, universities of applied sciences, research universities and scientific research institutes in the Netherlands.
In the new agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Netherlands and China agreed to further support science programmes such as CEP, JSTP and where possible the PSA programme. Both countries will put more emphasis on new initiatives such as the Sino-Dutch education policy dialogue on vocational and higher education which will support further exchange between, schools, students and teachers.
New shadowing programmes have also been announced which aim to facilitate the exchange of school administrators and key teachers between both countries. Both ministries also agreed to support the establishment of a living lab in hospitality and tourism in China which aims to provide an interactive platform between Chinese and Dutch students, staff and researchers of schools and companies.
The Dutch Ministry also agreed to work with China on offering training workshops on internationalization of education and research for Chinese universities and research institutes which will encourage the exchange of experiences and expertise on this topic.
Minister Bussemaker attended the seminar ‘Exchange of Best Practices in Sino-Dutch Science Collaboration’ which was organised by the Dutch science organizations KNAW and NWO. The successful seminar provided a unique platform for top researchers from bilateral research projects funded by Dutch and Chinese governments to share their experiences. On her last day, the Minister held meetings with the Chinese Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences (CAS and CASS) and renewed cooperation agreements with both important players in Chinese science.
During her visits to the Beijing Foreign Affairs School, a vocational school specialized in hospitality, and the famous Tsinghua University, Minister Bussemaker had the opportunity to meet with many Chinese students, teachers and professors. Since education mobility is an important priority, Minister Bussemaker and Tsinghua President Chen Jining announced to make 10 scholarships available for Dutch and Chinese students to study at Tsinghua University and 4 Dutch universities.