A delegation headed by BAC Committee Member Liu Honglei visited on November 1st – 2nd.

The delegation was formally invited to Tatarstan by the State Council (provincial parliament). At KFU they sat down with Vice-Rector Linar Latypov and Director of the Higher School of Public Administration Igor Privalov.

Mr. Liu said, «We hope that together we can adapt to the current trends and serve to our mutual benefit whilst providing theoretical research and consultation and actively engaging in academic exchange».

A memorandum of understanding was signed after the negotiations. Double diploma programs were discussed, among other things. BAC already has the experience of cooperation with Russian colleagues, namely, there is a PhD curriculum module about Russian and Chinese business practices. The Institute of Management, Economics and Finance is expected to take helm and accept Chinese students at KFU for their final year of education. The Higher School of Public Administration, in its turn, aims to provide internship opportunities for acting Chinese officials; of course, Russian public servants will have the same privilege at BAC.

KFU is currently very popular among Chinese youth, with about 560 students from the PRC studying here as of now. There are 19 partnership agreements with Chinese universities, including double diploma programs. Coincidentally, Mr. Liu himself has studied in Russia.

Vice-Rector Latypov complimented the guests by mentioning that China's public governance system has recently been known for its effectiveness. Therefore, it's important to study what in China's experience is culturally unique and what is universal. The same goes for the Russian administrative model. Cultural economics is another emerging area of interest, as both parties agreed.