China-France education collaboration delivers new success in research, talent development

China-France educational cooperation has delivered fresh progress over the past year, with notable achievements in talent cultivation and joint scientific research.

At Beihang University, Centrale Pekin, or the Sino-French engineering school, established two decades ago -- inaugurated a joint carbon-neutrality laboratory last year and received its first cohort of French students this year.

For Eva, a French graduate student, this marks her second academic journey to China.

I think the education here of engineering is really good. Here, the Sino-French engineering school is like the same as the French teaching because it's a partnership between Beihang and a French school, (so it includes instruction from) French teachers who are coming here to teach. A lot of Chinese professors have some specific topic of research. So here, all during the three years of master, every year we have classes and we also have some practice of three months of internship and six months of internship to do in companies. So, we have a whole package together," she said.

Over the past year, Chinese and French universities have jointly launched more than 20 dual-degree programs, facilitating faculty and student exchanges, curriculum integration, and credit recognition.

The total number of cooperative educational institutions and programs between the two sides has reached 72.

"Beihang operates three China-France cooperative institutions in Beijing and Hangzhou, admitting approximately 500 undergraduates annually. Students can earn dual degrees and diplomas from both China and France. Moving forward, we will leverage Hangzhou and the Yangtze River Delta region's industrial strengths to focus on interdisciplinary research in fields such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and carbon neutrality," said Dong Zhuoning, dean of the Hangzhou International Innovation Institute under Beihang University.

Over the past year, Chinese and French universities have established 10 new joint laboratories and advanced over 90 research collaborations.

At Xiamen University, the Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions international project initiated by Chinese scientists with deep involvement from French research institutions, has achieved new progress.

The pilot-scale project to alkalize wastewater to increase carbon sink, synchronously deployed in China and France, has yielded preliminary results, increasing marine carbon sinks by three to five tonnes for each 10,000 tonnes of treated wastewater.

At China University of Geosciences (Beijing), a Chinese team collaborated with France's Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology to analyze radon gas data collected in situ by Chang'e-6 during humanity's first sampling mission on the Moon's far side.

By integrating remote sensing imagery, they preliminarily identified potential release pathways and distribution patterns of radon gas on the far side, opening a new chapter in lunar in-situ exploration.

China-France education collaboration delivers new success in research, talent development

A Japanese energy expert has warned that ongoing oil supply shortages caused by escalating tensions in the Middle East could continue to drive up prices, intensify concerns over supply security, and ultimately drag down the world economy if the situation persists.

The ongoing conflict sparked by the attacks of the United States and Israel against Iran has tightened global energy supplies, prompting countries to take emergency measures. The Japanese government began releasing oil reserves on March 16.

In an Interview with China Central Television on Wednesday, Ken Koyama, chief economist at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics, warned that the uncertain situation in the Middle East could keep pushing up oil prices and worsen supply concerns.

"This crisis caused by attacks by the U.S. and Israel has already lasted a month. Although there are various reports about a ceasefire, the actual direction remains unclear. If this situation continues, not only will it push up oil prices for Japan and the world, but it will also intensify concerns about supply shortages, dragging down the global economy. The longer it lasts, the more serious the problem becomes," said Koyama.

Koyama noted that shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have nearly halted Middle Eastern exports of refined oil products, posing a severe challenge for Japan, which relies heavily on these imports.

"Crude oil can be transported via pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz, but there are no such alternative routes for refined oil products. Exports of refined oil products from the Middle East have been almost completely interrupted. This presents a huge challenge for countries dependent on Middle Eastern oil products. About 40 percent of Japan's naphtha is imported directly from the Middle East, and the raw materials for naphtha produced domestically also rely on crude oil from the region. So, the overall impact is significant. If the crisis is prolonged, the effects will gradually expand, and the outlook is not optimistic," he said.

Oil shortage threatens global economy: Japanese expert