From November 17 to 24, President Zhang Junfeng led a delegation to the University of Arizona (UoA), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to promote exchanges and cooperation with these institutions. 

The delegation visited UoA and held talks with leaders and experts including President Suresh Garimella, Vice President Jenny Lee, Associate Vice President Yuwen Wang, and Dean Marc Miller of the James E. Rogers College of Law. The two sides reviewed the fruitful outcomes jointly achieved since the establishment of the undergraduate dual-degree program in law in 2015. This program, as a successful model for Sino-US educational exchanges and cooperation, has cultivated more than 1,000 students, achieving remarkable outcomes in cultivating legal talent with international competitiveness. The delegation visited the College of Law, Biosphere 2 and Richard F. Caris Mirror Laboratory. 

The delegation visited UNAM and held talks with Francisco Suárez, Director of General Director for International Cooperation, Mónica González Contró, Director of the Institute of Judicial Research, and experts from the School of Business and the School of Social and Political Sciences. The two sides had in-depth discussions about educational and academic exchanges in fields such as law, economics, management, and marine science, and reached a consensus to promote collaboration. It was hoped that the two universities would enhance mutual understanding, establish friendly partnerships, and carry out pragmatic exchange and cooperation in student exchange, mutual visit of faculty, and academic research of shared interest. 

The delegation visited UNDP and had in-depth discussions with leaders and experts including Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Administrator, Xu Haoliang, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator, Midori Paxton, Director of Nature Hub, and Adnan Awad, Head of Water & Oceans Program. The two sides reached a consensus on strengthening cooperation in marine research, marine environmental protection, sustainable utilization of marine resources, and cultivation of international talent. Both sides noted that OUC and UNDP shoulder a shared mission in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and joint efforts will contribute to addressing climate change, marine pollution, and other global challenges, and advancing the global ocean development.

During the visit, the delegation also visited the Chinese Embassy in Mexico, and held talks with Ambassador Zhang Run. President Zhang Junfeng introduced the development of OUC and its cooperation with Mexican institutions. Ambassador Zhang stated that the Embassy supports OUC’s cooperation with Mexican universities in talent cultivation and research, which will enhance the friendship between the two countries. 

The delegation visited the Consulate General of China in New York and held talks with Deputy Consul General Ma Xiaoxiao. Zhang Junfeng introduced the development of OUC and its cooperation with American universities. Deputy Consul General Ma fully affirmed the productive cooperation between OUC and American institutions, and put forward suggestions for future collaborations.