On 3 August, representatives of Shanghai Prospect Development Institute (SPDI) met with Mr George Pippas, former Mayor of Cambridge, in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The two sides exchanged views on China-UK cultural exchange, educational cooperation, continuing education, youth and university student mobility, government-enterprise training, and potential pathways for industry cooperation and project implementation.
SPDI participants included Mr Mengda Zhao, Council Member of SPDI, CEO of Longcharm Group, Council Member of the China Culture Promotion Association, and Director of Industrial Investment Association; and Dr. Lina Wang, Council Member of SPDI, Co-Founder of Longcharm Education, Council Member of the China Culture Promotion Association, and Deputy Director of Industrial Investment Association.
Mr Pippas, the 811th Mayor of Cambridge, has a background in engineering, business and public affairs. He has visited China on multiple occasions and has long been involved in China-UK local exchange, educational cooperation and people-to-people initiatives. During the meeting, Mr Pippas shared his experience in promoting educational, civic and institutional exchanges between Cambridge and China, and expressed interest in exploring practical cooperation with SPDI on future projects.
SPDI introduced its development direction as a China-facing platform for continuing education and international learning. In recent years, SPDI has actively explored cooperation with UK universities, Cambridge-related colleges, educational institutions and local service partners, aiming to develop credible and high-quality international education programmes for government and enterprise leaders, universities, young people and school-age learners.
The two sides also discussed potential cooperation in China-UK cultural exchange and industry implementation. Possible areas include educational exchange, cultural visits, youth programmes, government-enterprise training, city resource connections, industry visits, international communication, and practical collaboration in education, culture, technology, healthcare, creative industries and related sectors.
Both sides agreed to continue exploring project-based cooperation in areas such as Cambridge local culture and city governance, youth and university exchange, short-term executive and academic training, visiting programmes, social media communication, people-to-people exchange and industry cooperation. Future cooperation will proceed on the basis of mutual trust, clearly defined responsibilities and transparent project mechanisms.
The meeting provided a new basis for SPDI to expand its local cooperation network in Cambridge and further develop its international education and cultural exchange ecosystem. SPDI will continue to build a professional, platform-based and compliant cooperation model, connecting Chinese learners, cultural industry resources and high-quality international partners to promote deeper China-UK educational, cultural and industry exchange.