University authorities of the Universidad de La Frontera came together at the Santiago Office in order to deal with issues related to the artistic and cultural links with China and the possibility to expand the exchange of students and academics and to increase the number of agreements with three different universities in Asia.

It was an auspicious meeting that took place at the Santiago Office of the Universidad de La Frontera, with the participation of Dr. Gloria Rodríguez, the vice-rector for Academic Affairs; Dr. Pamela Leal, who is in charge of Outreach and International Contacts at the International Affairs Office; Julia Hazbun, the deputy director of Outreach and Community Engagement; Victor Wu, the consultant on Asian matters at the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement; and Veronica Neghme, who is in charge of APEC at the Diplomatic Academy.

After the visit of the Chinese ambassador Xu Bu at the UFRO, which had the objective to dialogue with the university about the possibility to expand the alliances and cooperation regarding internationalization and about the participation of the faculties, the doctoral programs, the International Affairs Office and the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement.

The positive relations made it possible to organize an important meeting between textile artisans from China and from the Araucanía Region for the preparation of the Contemporary Textile Fair, which will be inaugurated in June. Apart from that, the date for the signing of a Cooperation Agreement with the Chinese University of Jinan was also announced during this meeting.

The new alliance will allow and strengthen the exchange between both universities and the other two universities the UFRO cooperates with in China, especially when it comes to scholarships, graduate studies, internships, student mobility, etc.

UFRO-APEC

In November this year, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit will take place in Santiago, Chile. In this regard, Veronica Neghme spoke about the Special Programs of APEC, which the UFRO will also support with different activities, starting with a video that will be recorded at the University and in the Araucania Region, with a special focus on regional exportations, and with interviews with the Rector, entrepreneurs, former students, the regional office of ProChile and local authorities, amongst others.