Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrapped up his four-day state visit to China with a stop in Shanghai. On October 31, he arrived at Fudan University where he delivered an address and participated in dialogues with the university's students and faculty members.
This trip marked his second visit to Fudan. In April 2013, while serving as Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and European Affairs, Stubb visited Fudan and delivered a speech.
The gathering focused on topics like global affairs, higher education, and potential future cooperation in various fields. In his address, President Stubb shared insights on current global affairs, particularly the evolving multipolar world order.
Drawing from his own study experiences, he also shared with students the impact of studying abroad and embracing diverse cultures on broadening horizons and personal growth. He encouraged the students to hold an open mind and endless curiosity about the world, becoming lifelong learners.
Over the past years, Fudan has consistently been committed to international collaboration and global engagement, dedicated to the pursuit of academic excellence and the cultivation of future leaders.
JIN Li, president of Fudan University, highlighted the extensive and in-depth cooperation between Fudan and Finnish institutions in education and research. He believes that President Stubb's visit will further strengthen cooperation betweenFudan and Finnish universities.
At the event, President Stubb received two gifts from the university: The Rise of China and International Law, written by Professor CAI Congyan from Fudan’s Law School, and group photos from his previous visit in 2013.
“It’s wonderful that our country's president can communicate with Fudan students,” said Elsa Annikki Palmen, a Finnish student who’s learning Chinese language at Fudan, with aspirations to work in China one day.
“The oral tradition in Finnish literature resonates with me, reminding me of the ancient Chinese practice of storytelling by word of mouth,” said YUAN Shuoying, a doctoral student from the School of Foreign Languages and Literature. Her initial encounter with Finland was through literature in a course offered by the Nordic Centre.
After his address, President Stubb exchanged views with Fudan’s experts on international issues and took a tour of the Nordic Centre. Established in 1995, the Centre serves as a collaborative academic hub between Fudan and more than 20 Nordic universities, fostering cooperation across a broad spectrum of fields such as welfare systems, ageing, health sciences, and environmental sciences.. Its summer program ‘Business and Innovation in China’ has proven particularly popular among Finnish students.
In recent years, Fudan University has been advancing its Global Opening and Cooperation initiative, continually enhancing high-level international engagement and strengthening partnerships in education, research, and cultural exchange with global institutions. Currently, more than 3,000 international students from over 110 countries are pursuing studies at Fudan.
As an example of such collaboration, Fudan and the University of Turku in Finland have jointly launched a dual-degree program in ICT. Additionally, Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital and four Finnish universities have established the Sino-Finnish Joint Biomedical Research and Development Center.
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Presented by Fudan Media Center
Writer: CHEN Xiaoyuan, WANG Jingyang
Editor: WANG Mengqi, LI Yijie
