Recently, China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) announced the list of universities selected into the “10+10” cooperation plan between Chinese and Arabuniversities, and UPC was selected as a member of the planin energy. It marks new opportunities for UPC to promote China-Arab higher education cooperation, expand the collaboration network with universities in Arab countries, and promote the construction of the China-Saudi Arabia “Belt and Road” Petroleum Energy Laboratory, which will further promote our university to accelerate the world-class energy university construction with Chinese characteristics.

The “10+10” cooperation plan between Chinese and Arab universities is launched in accordance with the “Cooperation Initiative on Youth Development” of the “Eight Major Initiatives” for China-Arab practical cooperation proposed by the President Xi Jinping at the first China-Arab States Summit in Riyadh in December 2022. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, CAHE and the Association of Arab Universities have jointly established the China-Arab Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism, built a platform for inter-university exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Arab universities, promoted the common development of China-Arab higher education, and implemented the “10+10”cooperation plan between Chinese and Arab universities. Focusing on infocommunications, agricultural development, health and medical cares, green innovation, energy transformation, inter-civilizational dialogue, young talents cultivation, public policy, aerospace technology, as well as economic, trade and investment, the plan will establish ten university cooperation clusters, strengthen inter-university exchanges and cooperation within the clusters, and jointly promote the development of China-Arab higher education in the fields above.

Thanks to the educational and scientific research exchanges and cooperation with higher education institutions in Arab countries, UPC was selected as a member university in energy of the plan. In recent years, UPC has signed cooperation agreements and established cooperative partnerships with 10 universities, research institutions and enterprises from five Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. We also conducted close scientific research cooperation, technology transformation and talent cultivation cooperation with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology from Saudi Arabia as well as Khalifa University of Science and Technology from the United Arab Emirates in oil and gas energy. Leaders of UPC have led teams to visit universities and enterprises in Middle East Arab countries for many times, and received university leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Sudan and other countries to visit in the same period. Nearly 200 teachers and students of the university have visited universities in Arab countries to carry out academic exchanges and joint cultivation, and nearly 500 students from 15 Arab countries including Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan have been cultivated in UPC in the same period, and students with academic degrees account for 80% of them. In September 2023, as an initial member, UPC was invited to attend the founding ceremony of the China-Arab Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism in Jordan.