In May 2023, CHEN Zhimin, Vice President of Fudan University, led a delegation to visit the Association of Arab Universities (AArU) and other institutions in Jordan and Egypt. This visit aimed to implement the MOU signed between Fudan University and AArU, as well as the consensus reached at the online meeting between Prof. JIN Li, President of Fudan University, and Prof. Amr Salama, Secretary General of AArU, and to comprehensively advance the cooperation agenda between Fudan University and universities in Arab countries. JING Yijia, Dean of the Institute for Global Public Policy, LUO Jianbo, Dean of the School of International Cultural Exchange, CHEN Li, Deputy Dean of the Law School, and XU Yefang, Deputy Director of the Office of Global Partnership, participated in the visits.  

On May 14-15, the delegation first visited the headquarter of AArU in Amman, Jordan. Vice President CHEN and Secretary General Salama discussed and planned the next steps of cooperation, focusing on the China-Arab University Forum on Global Development and Governance. Accompanied by AArU officials, the delegation visited the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education and was welcomed by the Minister Prof. Azmi Mahafzah. Both sides shared views on higher education exchanges between Jordan and China. The delegation then visited the University of Jordan, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, and Al-Ahliyya Amman University, and had discussions with the presidents and representatives of relevant faculties on academic and educational cooperation.

On May 16-18, the delegation visited the Chinese Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and met Ambassador LIAO Liqiang. Accompanied by Counselor LU Chunsheng, the delegation went to the headquarter of the League of Arab States (LAS) and met Ambassador Farraj Alajami, Director of Education and Scientific Research of the LAS. Both sides expressed willingness to cooperate. The delegation then visited the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and met Mostafa Rifat, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Universities of Egypt. Both sides exchanged views on cooperation and exchanges between universities in China and Egypt. The delegation then visited Ain Shams University, the American University in Cairo, and Helwan University, where they exchanged views with the presidents and representatives of relevant faculties.

The face-to-face visits facilitated in-depth communication between Fudan University and AArU, the LAS, six excellent universities, and higher education authorities. It enhanced mutual understanding, established consensus, and created favorable conditions for further cooperation.  

Taking advantage of the MENA visits, Dean Jing of the Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) widely met Arab scholars, educators, and administrators, introduced the research and education ideas of IGPP, and discussed potential cooperation. Dean Jing also met colleagues from counterpart institutions such as Prof. Noha El-Mikawy, Dean of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy of the American University in Cairo, and Prof. Hamid Ali, Dean of The School of Economics, Administration, and Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. These meetings deepened mutual understanding of joint research and education between Chinese and Arab policy and administration schools in a globalized world.