On December 15 (local time), Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education of China Wu Yan and Róbert Zsembéra, State Secretary for Higher Education and Academic Research at the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic, jointly unveiled the “China-Slovakia Silk Road College” at Bratislava University of Economics and Management (BUEM). The event was attended by delegations from the ministries of education of both China and Slovakia, as well as Chinese Ambassador to Slovakia Cai Ge. During the event, our university signed a tripartite strategic cooperation agreement with Bratislava University of Economics and Management and Gotion High-Tech Co., Ltd. President Wang Haohan led a delegation to Slovakia to oversee the event and deliver a speech.

 

Vice Minister Wu Yan highlighted that the establishment of the China-Slovakia Silk Road College and the strategic cooperation agreement between our university, Gotion High-Tech, and BUEM represent a significant milestone in diplomatic and educational collaboration between China and Slovakia. He emphasized that the college embodies a “mutual journey toward development,” marking a new phase of educational cooperation between the two nations.

 

Gotion High-Tech is the first Chinese new energy battery enterprise to establish operations in Slovakia. It has formed a joint venture, GIB, with Slovak battery manufacturer InoBat, committing nearly 1.2 billion euros to construct an electric vehicle battery factory in Šurany, Slovakia. This investment—the second-largest in Slovakia’s history—has received strong support from the Slovak government. In November, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, during his visit to Gotion High-Tech, remarked that the company’s investment “has the potential to become a milestone in China-Slovakia relations.” As Gotion High-Tech's facilities take shape in Slovakia, the company anticipates the need for 2,000 to 3,000 trilingual professionals proficient in Chinese, English, and Slovak for technical, managerial, and research roles. Through this strategic collaboration, our university will leverage the Silk Road College to cultivate a new generation of internationally oriented, highly skilled professionals proficient in technology, languages, and practical applications.

 

The inauguration of the China-Slovakia Silk Road College and the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement with Gotion High-Tech and BUEM represent not only a new milestone in university-industry collaboration but also a significant step in our university’s “industry-academia integration” strategy. Moving forward, our university will continue to embrace open collaboration, working closely with BUEM, Gotion High-Tech, and other partners to elevate the Silk Road College to new heights and contribute to deeper China-Slovakia exchanges and cooperation.

 

Written by the Office of Communications; Photography by the Office of International Cooperation and the International Education College; Reviewed by Zhu Fengmei, Office of International Cooperation, and Hu Shangui, International Education

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