A China-Brazil cooperation research center for exchange and mutual learning of civilizations was officially inaugurated on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to set an exemplary model for university collaboration among Global South countries.

The center was jointly established by Renmin University of China, China's Beihang University, Brazil's Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Federal University of Minas Gerais.

The center will build a deepened academic collaboration network and promote knowledge innovation and resource sharing, serving as a new platform for China-Brazil youth exchanges, educational cooperation, cultural dialogue, and mutual learning between civilizations.

In a congratulatory letter, Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Zhu Qingqiao said that China is willing to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning with Brazil and deepen cooperation in culture, education, and technological innovation to further enrich the contemporary connotation of bilateral relations.

Zhu pledged that the embassy would work together with all parties to ?facilitate? educational and cultural exchanges to help the younger generation grow through mutual learning.

Zhang Donggang, Party secretary of the Renmin University of China, described the center at the launching ceremony as both a new landmark for educational cooperation and a powerful engine for civilizational exchange.

Guided by the principles of equality, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness, Zhang said that the four universities will integrate their strengths to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Zhao Changlu, Party secretary of Beihang University, noted that the center highlights the critical role of higher education in promoting cultural exchanges, technological innovation, and cooperation, and will become an important platform for China-Brazil intellectual exchanges in the new era.

Beihang University is willing to work with all parties to bring together first-class scholars to promote cross-disciplinary research innovation and expand educational programs to create international training opportunities for more young students from both countries, he added.

President of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Roberto Medronho, deemed the establishment of the center as a milestone in Brazil-China educational cooperation.

Looking ahead, he expressed the hope that the four universities will jointly promote collaborative innovation in education and technology, deepen talent cultivation, and enhance mutual learning, writing new chapters of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

Aziz Tuffi Saliba, the vice-provost for International Relations of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, said the center is an important step in building a Brazil-China community with a shared future.

Through the center, both peoples will strengthen mutual understanding, create more independent knowledge, and promote the shared development of both nations and the world, he added.