The interior of Suzhou Industrial Park One-stop Service Center for Expats in Suzhou, Dec. 10, 2024. [Photo by Yang Chuanli/China.org.cn]

Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security invited a group of reporters from China's media to tour the Suzhou Industrial Park and to interview Jean-François Vergnaud, Dean of the Sino-French Institute, located at Renmin University of China's Suzhou campus, and Xi Youmin, President of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). 

"Suzhou is a great city and the Suzhou Industrial Park is a wonderful place," said Vergnaud, who has witnessed Suzhou's steadfast support for educational cooperation blossom. 

Under his leadership, the Sino-French Institute serves as a bridge promoting educational exchange between China and France. "French youth must come to China, understand China and study in China," he stated. 

The Sino-French Institute has not only established a Chinese language and China studies program at the Paul Valéry University Montpellier, located in southern France, but has also nurtured numerous talents within China, advancing academic, scientific and cultural collaborations between the two nations. 

Through his contributions to education, Vergnaud has received multiple talent awards and honors in Suzhou, emphasizing the city's commitment to valuing educational talents and promoting the globalization of education.

Under the leadership of President Xi Youmin, XJTLU has been a prototype for international education since its establishment in the Suzhou Industrial Park in 2004. The university leverages educational resources from the University of Liverpool and Xi'an Jiaotong University to provide an increasing number of students with a diverse range of majors, as well as awarding students both Chinese and British degrees.

"Next April 25th, we will host a series of important events in Budapest to support the training of talents for Chinese enterprises going global and to facilitate international corporations entering China. We have even grander plans under the Belt and Road Initiative," Xi said.

The university's integrated education model has gained recognition throughout the international educational community, attracting prestigious universities from the UK, Australia and other countries to seek future cooperative exchanges. "We will further open our Taicang campus in Suzhou to international students as part of our innovative educational ecosystem," Xi added.

Complementing the "hard practices" of the Sino-French Institute and XJTLU is the "soft support" provided by the Suzhou Industrial Park One-stop Service Center for Expats. This center offers nearly a hundred foreign-related government, public and lifestyle services. The center links international communities, scenic areas, foreign enterprises and international schools, among other entities, to establish "service stations" that provide support with accommodations, education, culture, healthcare, transportation and tourism.

Service manuals released by Suzhou Industrial Park One-stop Service Center for Expats in Suzhou, Dec. 10, 2024. [Photo by Yang Chuanli/China.org.cn]

Moreover, the center publishes service manuals for foreigners, regularly updates foreign-related policies, facilitates online services for foreigners, and organizes foreign-related activities, continuously enhancing the service satisfaction and convenience for international talents. Since its establishment, the center has handled nearly 3,000 inquiries and completed over 50,000 administrative tasks, as well as has hosted more than 60 cultural exchange and policy salon events.

One of the cultural activities organized by the center has even won an award from UNESCO, showcasing Suzhou's proactive approach and appeal in attracting and nurturing talents.

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