H.E. the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Fang Qiu, visits the University of Athens [17.03.2025]

On Monday, 17 March 2025, H.E. the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Hellenic Republic, Mr Fang Qiu, paid an official courtesy visit to the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where he met with the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, and the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, International Relations and Extroversion, Professor Sophia Papaioannou.

The Rector gave the Chinese Ambassador an overview of the University’s history, identity, and global orientation. He also highlighted the wide range of disciplines offered by the University and its international agreements, particularly those with Chinese Institutions. The Vice-Rector, on her part, referred in detail to Chinese students who learn Greek at the NKUA’s Modern Greek Language Teaching Centre or have participated in the Summer Course in Modern Greek Studies, as well as Greek and international students at the University of Athens who learn Chinese at the NKUA’s Foreign Language Teaching Centre. In the discussion that followed, Professor Siasos drew the Ambassador’s attention to the NKUA’s three English-taught undergraduate programmes and the potential for collaboration between Chinese Universities and several Departments at our Institution, emphasizing that NKUA ranks consistently among the top 300 Universities worldwide in many academic subjects. Further to these, Professor Papaioannou added that 30% of the students at the English-taught undergraduate programme of the NKUA’s School of Philosophy are, in fact, Chinese.

The Rector did not fail to mention that many of our University’s graduates have excelled in science, research, the arts, and humanities—and politics, with nearly every President of the Third Hellenic Republic having accomplished studies at the University of Athens.

Finally, the Ambassador, Mr Fang Qiu, spoke very warmly about the University of Athens’ successes and its ever-changing dynamics thanks to the English-taught undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and he invited the Rector to visit China whenever he wished.