Dr. Tahir Mumtaz Awan, Director of the China Study Centre at COMSATS University Islamabad, Visits Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences for Academic Exchange

From 29 to 30 November 2023, at the invitation of Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Tahir Mumtaz Awan, Director of the China Study Centre at COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), paid an exchange visit to the College. During his stay, Dr. Awan engaged in cultural and people-to-people exchanges with faculty and students of the Department of Foreign Languages and delivered an academic lecture.

Dr. Awan's visit marked a significant step in the College's ongoing efforts to deepen its academic ties with leading Pakistani institutions. COMSATS University Islamabad, established in 1998 under the aegis of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South, has since grown into one of Pakistan's premier public-sector universities, consistently ranked among the top institutions in the country. Its China Study Centre, which Dr. Awan heads, has emerged as an active hub for research on Pakistan-China relations, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and broader regional connectivity, regularly hosting seminars, publishing policy papers, and facilitating scholarly exchanges between the two nations.

On 29 November, the College hosted an exchange and discussion forum. Mr. Zhou Quansheng, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office; Ms. Wang Jiali, Director of the Research Department; and Mr. Tang Jun, Director of the Pakistan Research Center, extended a warm welcome to Dr. Awan, who had travelled from afar. At the meeting, Director Zhou Quansheng provided Dr. Awan with a comprehensive overview of the College's educational history, its distinctive institutional characteristics, its international exchange programmes, and the academic and daily life of Pakistani students currently studying on campus. He noted that the College, since its establishment, has placed a strong emphasis on cultivating global perspectives among its students and has, for over a decade, nurtured particularly close relationships with Pakistan through teacher dispatches, student exchanges, and a dedicated Pakistan Research Center.

Director Wang Jiali elaborated on the research landscape of the College's Pakistan Research Center, covering its portfolio of research projects, the construction of research platforms, and its notable outputs. She highlighted the Center's growing contributions to the study of ancient civilizations, contemporary socio-economic developments in Pakistan, and the educational dimensions of the China-Pakistan partnership. The participants at the forum expressed a shared desire to use Dr. Awan's visit as a springboard for deeper educational collaboration and exchanges in areas such as faculty and student mobility, joint research and innovation, and the cultivation of international students, all aimed at further advancing the iron-clad friendship between China and Pakistan.

In his remarks, Dr. Awan extended sincere gratitude for the warm hospitality and provided a detailed introduction to COMSATS University Islamabad. He traced the university's development trajectory, from its origins as a centre of excellence in information technology to its present status as a comprehensive university with strengths spanning engineering, management sciences, humanities, and architecture across multiple campuses. He placed particular emphasis on the China Study Centre's mission to serve as a bridge for academic and cultural understanding, and its active role in analysing the multi-faceted Pakistan-China relationship. Dr. Awan expressed his hope that through this visit, a robust institutional partnership could be established between COMSATS University Islamabad and Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences. Such a partnership, he suggested, could provide a broader developmental space and a collaborative platform for both institutions in areas such as reciprocal student visits, faculty exchanges, and joint academic research. He affirmed his commitment to contributing to the deepening of Pakistan-China friendship and the promotion of ever-stronger bilateral cooperation.

As part of the visit, Dr. Awan also toured the College's facilities, including the Pakistan Research Center, the Masood Hall — a permanent exhibition that documents the rich history of China-Pakistan friendship and the College's role in it — and the campus library. He expressed deep admiration for the College's sustained commitment to Pakistan studies and its tangible role in fostering people-to-people connectivity, describing the institution as a model of grassroots academic diplomacy.

On 30 November, Dr. Awan held an engaging cultural exchange session and delivered an academic report to students and faculty of the Department of Foreign Languages. His lecture, titled "Understanding Contemporary China-Pakistan Relations: Opportunities and Pathways for the Youth," explored the historical foundations, current dynamism, and future potential of the bilateral relationship, with a special focus on the role that young people and educational institutions can play in strengthening mutual understanding. The session concluded with a lively question-and-answer period, during which students asked insightful questions on topics ranging from educational opportunities in Pakistan to the cultural dimensions of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The event was widely praised for its intellectual enrichment and its contribution to broadening students' global horizons.

The successful visit of Dr. Awan to Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences has laid a strong foundation for future inter-university cooperation. Both sides agreed to work towards formalizing a memorandum of understanding that will pave the way for collaborative research projects, faculty and student exchange programmes, and joint academic events, further cementing the people-to-people bonds that form the bedrock of the China-Pakistan "All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership."