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Consul General of France in Shanghai, Joan Valadou, visits SKEMA's Suzhou campus
On January 9, 2024, Joan Valadou (the Consul General of France in Shanghai), Séverine Boué (the University Cooperation Attaché), and Ran Qu (the Consul General's interpreter) visited SKEMA’s Suzhou campus. Joan Valadou and Séverine Boué interacted with students, the management team of the Suzhou campus, and representatives from the Dushu Lake educational and scientific zone.
The Consul General expressed his delight in visiting SKEMA Suzhou. Located in the Dushu Lake educational and scientific zone of the Suzhou Industrial Park, this site, established in 2009, is one of the oldest and most dynamic French school campuses in China. It also hosts the largest number of French students in the country. Mr. Valadou described SKEMA as a pioneering school, establishing its first international campus in China, thereby playing a key role in Franco-Chinese educational cooperation.
Mr. Valadou noted that for the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Franco-Chinese diplomatic relations in 2024, France would take the opportunity of the Franco-Chinese Year of Cultural Tourism (ATC) to organise various festive activities, such as cultural exchanges and the celebration of the Olympic Games. He emphasised that the young French people who have chosen to study in China are the craftsmen of tomorrow's Franco-Chinese exchanges and friendship. He also welcomed Chinese students to the French campuses of SKEMA and invited them to study in France.
Guided tour of the Suzhou campus
Mr. Valadou and Mrs. Boué also had discussions regarding professional development, Franco-Chinese cooperation, and cultural exchanges with the students. Subsequently, the Consul General and Mrs. Boué had a meeting with the representatives of the Dushu Lake educational and scientific zone. They discussed about the history of the zone, its educational institutions, as well as Franco-Chinese academic cooperation projects.
Finally, the Consul General and Mrs. Boué were given a guided tour of our Suzhou campus. Matthieu Dumont, director of SKEMA China, recounted the history of SKEMA in China since the establishment of the first campus in 2009. Matthieu Dumont highlighted SKEMA's leading role in Franco-Chinese academic cooperation relations. The Suzhou campus has trained numerous French and international students in their understanding of China. For this first post-COVID academic year, the Suzhou campus has welcomed 300 students. Many international students will come to discover China in the coming semesters.
