The BRICS University League is forging closer educational bonds among the group's five countries - an example of cooperation that has borne fruit in recent years.

The idea of establishing a league of universities was first put forward by educators from nine higher education institutions in China and Russia in July 2013, when the International Academic Conference and Seminars on BRICS Studies unfolded in Shanghai.

Officially launched in Beijing in October 2015, the league aims to boost higher education cooperation and people-to-people exchanges among the five members of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - said Wang Lei, director of the Center for Cooperation Among BRICS Members at Beijing Normal University, where the secretariat of the league is located.

"By enabling more visits and exchanges of students, researchers and scholars from BRICS universities, the league helps diversify global talent movement - not only from developing countries to developed ones, as has always happened, but also to other developing countries, including BRICS members," Wang said.

"I believe this will be very meaningful to BRICS members, as it will bring a precious fortune of intelligence to these countries."

Chen Baosheng, China's education minister, said the past decade has seen educational ties between BRICS members becoming increasingly close.

"Last year, more than 40,000 students from BRICS countries were studying in China, accounting for almost 10 percent of all overseas students in the country. Meanwhile, about 13,000 Chinese students were studying in BRICS member nations," he said, adding that China had approved 152 education institutions or programs with those countries as of May.

In a declaration signed by the education ministers of BRICS countries in Beijing in early July, the five member nations agreed to continue taking measures to strengthen multilateral exchanges and cooperation on education, including encouraging universities to participate in the BRICS University League.

According to Wang, 43 universities from the five BRICS countries - including prestigious ones such as Peking University and Fudan University in China and Saint Petersburg State University in Russia - have joined the league so far.

By staying in communication with more than 10 other university alliances, and by bridging transnational and interdisciplinary research, the league is trying to attract more institutions to join.

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(China Daily 09/05/2017 page6)