University Leadership Meets with Delegation from the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Turkey
2025/4/11 11:28:00
Gu Feng extended a warm welcome to the delegation and offered a brief overview of SJTU’s achievements in disciplinary development, talent cultivation, and internationalization. He highlighted Turkey’s unique geographic position bridging Europe and Asia, as well as its historic role as a key hub along the ancient Silk Road. In recent years, China and Turkey have seen positive momentum in cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Gu emphasized that collaboration in higher education plays a critical role in advancing academic excellence, nurturing talent, and supporting socio-economic development. He noted that SJTU has established student exchange programs and joint research projects across multiple disciplines with several top universities in Istanbul, and expressed his hope that more outstanding students from Izmir would come to SJTU for academic exchange.
Wu Jiannan, Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs and Executive Vice Dean of the China Institute for Urban Governance, shared insights into the institute’s work in the areas of digital governance transformation, sustainable urban renewal, and innovation-driven urban development. Using the examples of the “One-Stop Online Government Services” platform and the Hongkou Innovation District, he explained how the institute leverages SJTU’s interdisciplinary strengths to address major governance challenges in megacities such as Shanghai. Since its founding in 2016, the institute has continuously expanded its influence on policymaking, evolving into a globally recognized think tank with Chinese characteristics and a high-level international platform for urban governance collaboration.
H. Gökçe Başkaya, Director of Foreign Affairs for the City of Izmir, expressed her honor at visiting SJTU. She noted that Izmir, with a history spanning 8,500 years, is Turkey’s third-largest city and a major center for industry, foreign trade, and maritime logistics. The city is home to ten universities—including the Izmir Institute of Technology—as well as five technology centers. It maintains active partnerships with Chinese cities such as Tianjin, Chengdu, and Xiamen, fostering cooperation in trade, healthcare, and cultural and technological exchange. She highlighted Izmir’s new five-year development plan, which encompasses infrastructure construction, sustainable development, ecological protection, and modern urban complex development. She expressed a strong interest in deepening collaboration with the China Institute for Urban Governance, with the goal of introducing Shanghai’s dynamic urban governance practices and global experience to Izmir and beyond.
Representatives from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, the School of International and Public Affairs, and the China Institute for Urban Governance also attended the meeting.