The online signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the “Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Program in Power and Energy” was held in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong respectively on June 3.

Professor Wen Xiaozhong of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), General Manager Yin Zhitian of Hongkong Electric Company, Limited (HK Electric), Guan Xiaohong, CAS member and director of the Faculty of Electronic and Information Engineering in Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), and Liu Yunhou, head of State Grid Technology College, signed the MOU on behalf of their respective institutions and companies.

XJTU President Wang Shuguo and Professor Teng Jinguang, president of PolyU, witnessed the signing ceremony at their venues through video link. XJTU Vice President Xi Guang, and He Changzhong, director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, attended the signing ceremony at the branch venue in Xi'an. 

Teng said that the school motto of PolyU is “to learn and to apply knowledge for the benefit of mankind”. He was very happy to cooperate with the other three parties to respond to social needs, and hoped to contribute to the development of Hong Kong and the country and contribute to the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Yin said that HK Electric is one of the major power suppliers in Hong Kong, and is committed to providing Hong Kong residents with safe, stable and reliable power supply. He is very willing to exchange the latest technology and information in the industry with all parties so as to contribute to achieving peak emission in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060. 

Wang said that XJTU attaches great importance to the Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Program in Power and Energy. 

“All four parties cherish the same ideals and follow the same path, and we did a very valuable thing together. I hope that in the future, we will jointly promote the technological progress of power and energy industry, solve technical problems, cultivate more outstanding talents, and make greater contributions to the countries and regions along the Belt and Road and even all mankind,” said Wang.

Liu said that in the past three years of cooperation, the four parties have forged a deep friendship with each other. The training form of joining universities and enterprises has created a brand-new platform for the extension and development of China’s power and energy industry.

Liu hoped that all parties will closely follow the new trend of technological development, focus on the country’s environmental objectives, and launch more exchanges and cooperation projects, so that the professional development program will burst with greater vitality and play a greater role.

The program is a three-year training plan launched in 2018 under the framework of the University Alliance of the Silk Road (UASR) by the four parties which aims to train senior managers and scientific and technological talents in the field of power and energy for countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

Over the past three years, more than 200 trainees from 31 countries and regions have received thematic training centered on “power and energy”, and visited Beijing, Jinan, Xi'an, Hong Kong and other places through field visits and hands-on practice to learn skills.

This in-depth integration of university scientific research resources with enterprise technology and management deepens the cooperation between university scientific research personnel and power energy enterprises, and can promote the commercialization of experimental technology results and better serve talent training goals to help the country's social and economic construction.

Relevant department heads of the four parties attended the signing ceremony at each branch venue.