Recently, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led a delegation on an official visit to China, marking his first trip to China since taking office. This visit to China coincides with the second decade of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and New Zealand. As one of the core topics of this trip, education cooperation between China and New Zealand not only deepens the position of education as the cornerstone of the relationship between the two countries, but also effectively promotes New Zealand's image as a high-quality study destination, and builds a broader platform for exchanges between the two peoples, especially the younger generation.
Deepen education cooperation between New Zealand and China, welcome more Chinese students to study in New Zealand
On the morning of June 19th, Premier Raksen and his delegation visited Fudan University in Shanghai and had in-depth exchanges with Fudan University President Jin Li, Vice President Chen Zhimin, and teachers and students. Premier Lakson pointed out in his speech at Fudan University that the long-term stable and effective cooperation between universities in China and Singapore has injected new impetus into the development of education and scientific research in both sides. He emphasized that the core of education is people. The exchange and cooperation between students from New Zealand and China can establish lifelong connections and have far-reaching impacts. The Prime Minister highly praises the important role of education in enhancing friendship between the two peoples, and firmly believes that contemporary students are the future innovators, business leaders, and change makers.
The visit of New Zealand Prime Minister Lakson this time has put educational exchanges into practice, reflected in a series of specific cooperation agreements and implementation projects. Prime Minister Lakson announced that New Zealand will co host the second "New Zealand China High Level Education Forum" with China in Beijing in October this year. This forum is an important part of the 26th China International Education Conference, and New Zealand will be the guest of honor for this conference.
On the afternoon of June 20th, Prime Minister Raksen attended an important educational themed event at the New Zealand Embassy in China. At the event, the New Zealand Education International Promotion Bureau signed an agreement with the China Education International Exchange Association, officially establishing New Zealand as the guest country of honor for the 26th China International Education Annual Conference. Prime Minister Lakson, along with Amanda Malu, Director of the New Zealand Education International Promotion Agency, and Yang Jun, Secretary General of the China Education International Exchange Association, jointly launched a series of guest country activities for the China International Education Annual Conference.
In addition, Prime Minister Raksen also witnessed the signing of several memorandums of understanding for cooperation: Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand signed memorandums of understanding for cooperation with Zhejiang Media College, Zhengzhou University, and Yantai University; The National Institute of Technology of New Zealand (Unitec) has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with Shanghai University of Engineering and Technology, Nielsen Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) of New Zealand, and Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power; New Zealand UP Education Group has signed memorandums of understanding with Beijing No.11 School, Hangzhou No.2 Middle School, and Eton Education Group for cooperation.
The signing of these cooperation agreements aims to provide Chinese students with richer and higher quality educational choices, helping them gain international learning experiences and global competitiveness. At the same time, these collaborations will also effectively promote long-term exchanges and development between educational institutions of the two countries, and facilitate the optimal allocation of educational resources. By strengthening partnerships with major stakeholders in the Chinese education sector, New Zealand will further consolidate its position as the world's preferred study destination and create convenient conditions for more Chinese students to study in New Zealand.
New Zealand China's "Three Brothers" Education Cooperation Spanning 20 Years
China and Singapore have always adhered to the concept of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation in education. The "Three Brothers Cooperation Project" is a vivid practice of this concept and a model of education cooperation between China and Singapore.
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the New Zealand China "Three Brothers Education Cooperation Project". During the visit, Prime Minister Raksen announced the winners of the 2025 "Three Brothers Cooperation Project" fund: the University of Auckland has become a partner in the education sector with Hangzhou Normal University and Capital Normal University; The University of Auckland has become a partner in the field of sustainable development with Tongji University and Nankai University; Auckland University of Technology has become a scientific partner with Chang'an University and Yangtze University.
Prime Minister Lakson pointed out that the "Three Brothers Cooperation Project" has supported over 100 collaborative projects in key areas such as environmental science, energy, and health over the past 20 years. In the future, the project aims to have a tangible impact, deepen cooperation, and establish a stronger international network.
The "Three Brothers Education Cooperation Project" was jointly established by the New Zealand Ministry of Education and the Chinese Ministry of Education in 2005. The project adopts a unique tripartite cooperation model, in which New Zealand universities, Chinese "Double First Class" universities, and local Chinese universities work together to promote the development of teaching and research between New Zealand and China, and to facilitate scientific research cooperation and talent exchange. Over the past 20 years, the scope of project cooperation has gradually expanded from traditional fields such as ecological protection and animal husbandry to emerging fields such as biomedicine, genetic breeding, smart agriculture, and digital governance of education, and has formed multiple demonstrative achievements in related fields.
In the field of environmental protection and sustainable development, the "WildAtlas Virtual National Park Tour System" jointly developed by Tsinghua University, Lincoln University, and Kunming University of Science and Technology has become a model for the linkage between education, scientific research, and industry; In the fields of medicine and biological sciences, the cancer immunotherapy project, a collaboration between Auckland University of Technology, Fudan University, and Xinjiang University, has achieved significant research results in areas such as antibody drugs and delivery of biomolecules; In terms of cultural exchange and integration, the Miao language conservation project jointly launched by Massey University, Beijing Jiaotong University, and Guizhou University not only promotes academic research, but also helps to protect and inherit endangered languages and cultural diversity in western China.
The visit of Prime Minister Raksen to China not only further deepens the strategic trust in education between China and New Zealand, but also opens up broader channels for Chinese students to study in New Zealand through a series of practical measures, continuously enhancing New Zealand's attractiveness as the world's preferred study destination. In the context of global education reform and digital transformation, China and Singapore will work together to promote higher quality, wider scope, and deeper level education cooperation, and jointly create a model of international education cooperation for the future.