At noon on December 14, Beijing time, President Li Bin held a video conference on deepening cooperation with Professor Dawn Freshwater, President of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, in the conference room on the 6th floor of the Aulin College. The person in charge of the NEFU office, the dean and party secretary of the Aulin College attended the conference.

President Li Bin spoke first. He pointed out that due to the COVID-19, he did not personally visit the University of Auckland (short for UOA), but the epidemic did not stop the pace and progress of cooperation between the two universities. Both universities had done a lot of works in 2020, including the establishment of UOA-NEFU CLC Learning Center by NEFU, which accepted 85 Chinese students studying in the University of Auckland. These students successfully completed their study of this semester in NEFU. Friendship between the two universities was deepened. In addition, the model of the CLC Learning Center laid a foundation for the in-depth cooperation and student cultivation of the two universities in the future. Thanks to the close cooperation between the two universities, the Aulin College developed rapidly and expanded its social influence continuously.

Li Bin emphasized that in order to develop the all-round and in-depth cooperation between NEFU and UOA, he hoped to further promote scientific research cooperation on the platform of the Aulin College, besides the bachelor and master programs cooperation between the two universities. NEFU would use the most advantageous disciplines to cooperate with the UOA.  NEFU also planned to establish the Aulin Joint Research Institute, and two international research centers for smart forestry, chemistry and material, to independently recruit and jointly cultivate high-level doctoral professionals with UOA.  President Li Bin said that the UOA students were welcomed to study in the CLC Learning Center in the next spring semester. And he sincerely invited President Freshwater to visit NEFU after the epidemic was over.

President Freshwater said that he was very happy to hold the video conference with President Li Bin. Though not in the same space, he still felt the enthusiasm of NEFU.  He pointed out that due to the epidemic, the two universities had done their best to support the online learning of the Aulin and CLC students, while ensuring the smooth operation of the teaching and research work. The study model provided by the UOA-NEFU CLC Learning Center demonstrated the in-depth cooperation between the two universities. At present, more than 100 UOA students had expressed their willingness to study at the CLC Learning Center in the next semester.  And the plan on the establishment of the Aulin Joint Research Institute and joint scientific research etc. symbolized that the two universities had entered an important stage of cooperation. It was hoped that scholars and students between the two universities would have more visits and exchanges, and that in the future long-term cooperation in research and other fields would be developed. He expressed his gratitude to President Li Bin for his invitation, and hoped to have the opportunity to visit NEFU next year. What’s more, he welcomed President Li Bin and his team to visit the UOA again.