French embassy launches Club France in Beijing

Officially unveiled by the French Embassy in China, in partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China on Oct 18, Club France has established a bridge for further deepening friendship between the two countries.

More than 1,000 Chinese returnees attended the opening ceremony of the club. Within 24 hours, 500 Chinese returnees had already registered for membership on the website (www.ClubFranceChine.org).

The new, service-oriented website is designed to foster personal and professional links between all Chinese returnee students and interns from France, providing them with a wide range of services such as a comprehensive directory, online forum and job opportunities.

Over the past 10 years more than 50,000 Chinese students have pursued their education in France. The number of new departures has undergone 30 percent growth in 2007 and it is estimated there will be the same increase in 2008.

French universities and graduate schools have international rankings, competitive tuition fees, European grades as well as Sino-French mutually recognized degrees. A French law passed in July 2006 aims to facilitate students' academic stays while offering easier access to professional opportunities in France for Chinese graduates.

Sino-French education cooperation encompasses all fields of study with a focus on engineering, business and management, political science and law -- at Bachelor, Master and PhD level.

Partnerships range from student exchanges and joint-degree or double-degree agreements, to the creation of fully-fledged Sino-French engineering institutes, such as Ecole Centrale de Pekin on Beihang campus in Beijing and CAUC Sino-French Institute of Aviation Engineering in Tianjin. Both are developed with major support from the Chinese Ministry of Education by top-class networks of French engineering schools, with strong support from the French Corporate Sector.

(China Daily 10/24/2008 page41)