An Opportunity for Common Development

CHINA owns numerous knowledge-basedand skilled talents， while Europe has a largenumber of innovative and entrepreneurialtalents.The complementary advantages of China andEurope are obvious， said Wang Shihting， former Chineseambassador to Switzerland and Party secretaryof China Foreign Affairs University. The potential forcooperation is still huge， he told China Today in thisexclusive interview.

China Today ： Where do you see China-Europe talent exchange and cooperation going？

Wang Shihting： Talent exchange and cooperation isa major component of China-Europe relations. It isinvaluable for enhancing mutual understanding andfriendship， and promoting scientific and technologicalinnovation and economic cooperation. The currentmomentum is good， with the two sides extensivelycooperating in education， scientific research，culture and other fields. Student exchanges， scholarvisits， and joint research projects are increasing， withdeeper and broader talent exchanges.

In the future， China and Europe should promotetalent cooperation in a more open manner， and focusmore on high quality to ensure the exchanges are effectiveand sustainable. They should improve theirtalent exchange mechanisms， and provide more exchangeopportunities and platforms to leverage theircomplementary advantages and cooperate in morefields and at a deeper level.

China Today ： What are the key areas and forms for greater talent exchange and cooperation between China and the EU？

Wang Shihting： There is wide cooperation space inthe field of scientific and technological innovationand research， especially in cutting-edge technologiessuch as 5G， artificial intelligence， new energyand biotechnology. China and Europe should jointlypromote research and development projects andshare research results to enhance their positions inthe global science and technology arena.

Education and training are the cornerstone of talentexchange and cooperation. Student and teacherexchanges and visits should be deepened， and thetwo sides should strengthen communication on educationpolicies and aligning education standards. Inthis way， the quality of education will improve， providinghigh-quality resources for the talent pools ofboth.

Environmental protection and sustainabledevelopment are global issues. China and Europeshould tackle these problems together by workingon environmental protection projects， sharingenvironmental protection technology and experience，and jointly setting rules and standards forgreen industries. It is necessary to explore andpromote a new model of China-Europe cooperationbetween their enterprises， universities andresearch institutions， jointly promote global environmentalgovernance， and achieve green andsustainable development.

In the field of medicine and healthcare， Chinaand Europe should strengthen exchanges of medicalpersonnel， do medical research projects together，and improve medical standards. They should jointlyexplore new paths for medical and health systemreform to contribute to the cause of global publichealth.

In terms of cooperation models， China andEurope should regularly organize activities suchas talent exchange visits and cultural exchanges.More and more Chinese and European universitieshave carried out exchange among facultymembers in advantageous disciplines or set upcooperative education and research institutionsto cultivate high-quality international talents.International education cooperation projects arekey to improving the education quality for transnationaltalents.

Building international scientific research cooperationplatforms is also a critical way to share theresults of scientific research and improve its level.In addition， the talent flow can be stimulated bystrengthening economic and trade cooperation andconvening regular cooperation and exchange eventsin key industries to tap the potential of science andtechnology talents.

China Today ： What specific talent exchanges andcooperation impressed you most when you werethe ambassador to Switzerland？ What were theresults of such cooperation？

Wang Shihting： During my tenure， I promoted indepthcooperation between China and Switzerlandin education， scientific research， culture and otherfields. China and Switzerland have established extensivecooperative relations among higher education institutionsand scientific research institutions， carriedout joint research projects， and conducted exchangevisits between students and scholars.

These activities not only promote the exchange ofknowledge and technology， but also enhance mutualunderstanding and friendship. Swiss and Chineseenterprises also cooperate in science and technology，medicine and environmental protection， which haspromoted the innovation （capabilities） and developmentof both countries in these fields.

Education is the foundation of talent exchange.Through education， talents with an internationalperspective and cross-cultural communicationskills can be cultivated. The result is not limited toimproving hi-tech innovation capacity and solvingtechnical problems. It can play a leading role inpromoting the development of the economy， societyand other fields. Therefore， talent training and exchangesare critical to comprehensive developmentof China-Europe relations.

To further promote talent exchanges and cooperation，both sides should deepen strategic communication，clarify their priorities， and improve theircooperation mechanisms. They should provide moreopportunities and platforms for exchanges， jointlyaddress global challenges， and promote greater developmentof their relations.

China Today ： Sci-tech innovation is becoming anew highlight in China-Europe cooperation butsome in Europe are wary of China’s scientificprogress. We are also seeing trade protectionismrising. What do you think of this phenomenon？

Wang Shihting： Some of the prejudices about China’sscientific and technological progress and the riseof trade protectionism in Europe owe much to therhetoric of 0d4fd88e478b34340a5c9e4f1df00dbesome anti-China politicians and the biasedreports of some media， leading to a misunderstandingof China's scientific and technological progressand concerns about fair competition. Some Europeancountries and companies are concerned that China'sprogress may pose a threat to their competitivenessin the global market. Therefore， they have adoptedrestrictive measures and even protectionist policieson China's technology products and services， whichundoubtedly poses a challenge to China-Europe cooperationin science， technology and innovation.

Facing this challenge， China and Europe shoulddeepen dialogue and exchanges， enhance understandingand mutual trust， and dispel misunderstandingsand concerns. China follows the principlesof an open and fair market， protects intellectual propertyrights， respects international rules， and providesa level playing field for European companies. Chinahas also strengthened sci-tech cooperation with Europe，and shared scientific research results， which hasenhanced the science and technology competitivenessof both sides.

China and Europe should jointly promote two-wayopening-up and investment， strengthen collaborativeinnovation and development of advantageous industries，and jointly oppose trade protectionism. Theyshould unitedly safeguard the stability and fairness ofthe global trading system， and promote the recoveryand development of the global economy. China-Europescientific and technological innovation cooperationis mutually beneficial， and the two should worktogether to address challenges， share opportunities，and promote global scientific and technological progressand economic development with an open andinclusive attitude.

China-Europe cooperation in scientific and technologicalinnovation not only provides huge developmentopportunities， but also serves as a major drivingforce for global technological development andeconomic recovery. In-depth cooperation in frontiertechnologies such as 5G， artificial intelligence， biotechnologyand new energy can promote scientificand technological exchanges and innovation betweenthe two sides， and provide new impetus for global scientificand technological development and economicrecovery. This is an opportunity for the commondevelopment of both sides and is also an importantforce to promote global scientific and technologicalprogress.