PLANS to increase the profile of WA universities in the Chinese market have received a boost.
An agreement has been signed that will bring at least twenty post-graduate business students from Shandong Province to Edith Cowan University every year.
The agreement between ECU and the Shandong Finance Institute comes just two weeks after Education Minister Colin Barnett led a delegation of vice chancellors from WA’s universities to China to promote Perth as an “education city”.
The agreement will also allow ECU students to study at the SFI.
ECU vice-chancellor Millicent Poole said the university was already looking beyond this agreement to other mutually beneficial projects with the SFI.
“As well as expanding our revenue base and bringing foreign capital to WA, the agreement means students, the university and the community will derive long-term benefits from the cultural exchange,” Professor Poole said.
“Establishing strong educational links can only help Australia’s efforts to increase its economic and cultural ties with China.”
She said ECU had established a strong presence in China in recent years and had strong relationships with several tertiary institutions there.
