On September 24, the China Scholarship Council (CSC) renewed Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, the University of Waikato and Auckland University of Technology at the Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch. Dr. Hu Wei, CSC Secretary-General , Mr. David Downs, Chief Executive of Education New Zealand , Mr. Xu Haiyuan, Acting Consul General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch, Counsellor Tang Jun of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, and representatives of the four New Zealand universities attended the signing ceremony.

Counsellor Tang read out a congratulatory letter from Ambassador Wang Xiaolong, which spoke highly of the achievements of China-New Zealand educational exchanges and cooperation and expressed the expectation that all parties would further strengthen cooperation in cultivating high-calibre talent. Secretary-General Hu reviewed the history of educational exchanges between the two countries and called for carrying forward the spirit of Rewi Alley and promoting mutual understanding and trust through educational exchanges. Chief Executive Downs said that education is an important pillar of bilateral relations and spoke highly of CSC programs for building a bridge between the two countries in talent development.

Representatives of the New Zealand universities delivered remarks in turn, reviewing the achievements of their cooperation with Chinese counterparts in joint educational programs and collaborative research. They expressed their expectation to take the renewal of the agreements as a new starting point for further deepening educational exchanges and cooperation with China.