On February 21^st, Mr. Joan Valadou, Consul General of Consulate General of France in Shanghai, and Ms. Séverine Boué, Consul of Education, visited Alliance Francaise. Vice President Yantai CHEN met with guests.

On behalf Zhejiang Gongshang University, Chen extended welcome to the visit of Consul General and gave a brief review of the university's internationalization progress, educational cooperation with France as well as the development of the Alliance Francaise since its establishment. He pointed out that France has always been a very important strategic partner in the practice of internationalization of ZJSU, establishing cooperative relations with relevant universities in France. With the support of the Consul General, he hoped that the Alliance Francaise could play a better role as a platform and bridge to further promote the cultural exchanges between China and France based on the spirit of sincerity, openness and win-win cooperation, helping to boost cooperation with French universities, enterprises and cultural industries.

As an essential platform for educational and cultural exchanges between France and Zhejiang province, Alliance Francaise has become the largest French training institution in Zhejiang since its foundation in 2008. Up to now the registered students has arrived at around 12,000. Nearly a hundred of Sino-French cultural exchange events held by the Alliance every year has made it highly recognized by the public.  

Consul General Joan Valadou fully commended the achievements and contributions made by Alliance Francaise in Sino-French exchanges, and also appreciated ZJSU for its strong support for the development of the Alliance. He said that 2024 will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, which will be an important year for bilateral exchanges. He wished that Alliance Francaise would continue to play an important role in deepening friendship and expanding cooperation between China and France.

Luyan WU, Vice Director of International Office, Jianwei CHEN, Chinese Director of Alliance Francaise, and Nicholas Pierre, French Director of Alliance Francaise also attended the meeting.