The 35th Annual Meeting of the Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities (AULP) opened today (15 June) at the University of Macau (UM). The meeting has brought together over 150 representatives from universities in countries and regions including Macao, Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Timor-Leste, with the aim of deepening exchange and cooperation in higher education between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Yonghua Song, rector of UM, said in his speech that since its establishment, AULP has been dedicated to promoting the Portuguese language education and culture, and has become the most influential global academic network connecting higher education institutions in the Portuguese-speaking world. UM is the first university in Macao to join AULP and is committed to its strategic positioning: ‘rooted in Macao, contribute to the development of the Greater Bay Area, serve the nation’s development, and reach out to the world’. With strong support from the central government and the Macao SAR government, UM is currently embracing unprecedented development opportunities. Notably, the planning and construction of its campus in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin will not only significantly enhance UM’s overall teaching and research capacity, but also establish a robust platform for multidisciplinary collaboration between universities in China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Song also highlighted that UM will fully capitalise on Macao’s unique role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. By leveraging the development potential of its ‘one university, two campuses’ model, UM will play an active role in serving as a hub for academic, cultural, and talent exchange, thereby injecting new vitality into higher education cooperation between the two sides.
Fernando Alexandre, minister of education, science and innovation of Portugal; Astrigilda Silveira, president of AULP; and Cristina Montalvão Sarmento, secretary-general of AULP, also delivered speeches. They recognised Macao’s crucial role in fostering exchange in higher education between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and expressed hope that the meeting will strengthen global cooperation among Portuguese-speaking universities and help build a platform for the exchange of outstanding talent between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The meeting also featured a panel discussion on inter-university partnerships, alongside the launch of Camões Poeta, Herói n’Os Lusíadas, a commemorative publication honouring the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões.
The 35th AULP Annual Meeting is co-hosted by UM, Macao Polytechnic University, and Macao University of Tourism. UM is one of seven AULP member institutions in Macao. The university held the presidency of the association from 2014 to 2017, and served as vice-president from 2005 to 2014 and from 2021 to 2027, demonstrating its long-term commitment to promoting close cooperation and multilateral exchange among Portuguese-speaking universities.
