Delegation Led by Consul General of India in Guangzhou Visits GDUFS

On the morning of June 8, Gince Kuruvilla Mattam, Consul General of the Republic of India in Guangzhou, visited Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) with his delegation. Shi Youqi, Secretary of the Party Committee of GDUFS, met with the guests at the Baiyun Mountain Campus. The two sides held friendly talks on deepening educational cooperation, advancing the development of the Hindi program, promoting faculty and student exchanges, and strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Highlight from the Meeting

Shi extended a warm welcome to Consul General Gince Kuruvilla Mattam and his delegation, and introduced the achievements the university has made in its internationalized education. He noted that as a high-level university with major development support in Guangdong Province, GDUFS has been vigorously implementing its “PRIME Plan” for international exchange and cooperation. Over 61 years of development, the university has become an important base in South China for international talent cultivation and studies of foreign languages and cultures, global governance, foreign-related rule of law, and international communication of Chinese culture. He particularly highlighted that the university’s Hindi language program, established in 2011, was among the first batch to be selected as a national first-class undergraduate major construction site. The program follows a “3+1” international cultivation model, giving students the opportunity to study for one year at a renowned Indian university during their undergraduate studies. He emphasized that GDUFS has actively built high-end academic platforms such as the Asian University Presidents Forum (AUPF) and the International Think Tank Forum of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and that the university is willing to conduct joint research with Indian universities and think tanks in fields such as the environment, energy, security and digitalization, as well as to co-host international forums and jointly build research centers. He expressed the hope that this visit would serve as an opportunity to further expand cooperation with Indian universities and jointly advance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations.

Gince Kuruvilla Mattam expressed heartfelt thanks for the university’s warm reception and spoke highly of GDUFS’s contributions to promoting India-China cultural and educational exchange. He stated that the Consulate General has consistently followed and supported the development of the university’s Hindi program, and is willing to actively participate in the various cultural events organized by GDUFS. He expressed hope that, going forward, on the basis of mutual respect, mutual understanding and mutual benefit, the two sides could deepen India-China people-to-people and cultural exchanges and actively implement the diplomatic outcomes reached by the two heads of state. He emphasized that the Consulate General is willing to actively promote practical cooperation between Indian universities and GDUFS in areas such as academic research, student exchange, and the renewal of memoranda of understanding, so as to build more bridges of cooperation and communication for the youth of both countries with renewed enthusiasm and vitality.

Group Photo

Following the meeting, Gince Kuruvilla Mattam and his delegation engaged in face-to-face exchanges with faculty and students of the Hindi Department, Faculty of Asian and African Studies. Students majoring in Hindi welcomed the delegation with performances including dubbing, poetry recitals, and choral singing. Their fluent language proficiency and confident demeanor were highly commended by the Consul General and his delegation. During the exchange, the Consul General engaged in lively interaction with faculty and student representatives on topics such as the prospects for India-China economic and trade cooperation and intercultural communication skills.

Exchange with Faculty and Students of the Hindi Department

Also accompanying the delegation were Arun Pandianathan and Jitendra Singh, Consuls at the Consulate General of India in Guangzhou. Representatives from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and the Faculty of Asian and African Studies attended the meeting and exchange session.