NZ and China strengthen education links

New Zealand and China yesterday signed a strategic education partnership agreement in Beijing.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce signed the agreement with China’s Education Minister, Yuan Guiren, following bilateral talks between Prime Minister John Key and new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

The partnership will be between the Ministries of Education in New Zealand and China. It will build on the existing positive relationship between the two countries by supporting more education institutional partnerships.

“More than 24,000 Chinese students come to New Zealand schools and tertiary education institutions every year, making China the largest source of international students in New Zealand,” Mr Joyce says.

“We look forward to welcoming more Chinese students to New Zealand, and also exploring new and innovative ways to export New Zealand education expertise to China.”

The agreement will be put into action today with the signing of an agreement between the Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand and the Tianjin and Qingdao Technical Colleges in China.

“China, like many other countries, faces labour demands for skilled workers in key infrastructure areas like building and engineering. Vocational education and training is an area that New Zealand polytechnics excel at,” Mr Joyce says.

“There are many opportunities to work with technical colleges in China on programme design and assessment.

“It’s great to see New Zealand polytechnics realising these opportunities and forging strong links with their Chinese counterparts.”