On the afternoon of June 22, a delegation led by Jacqueline McLaren, Lord Provost of Glasgow, visited Dalian Maritime University (DMU). President Shan Hongjun met with Ms. Jacqueline McLaren for a friendly discussion.

President Shan Hongjun extended a warm welcome to the delegation and provided an overview of the university’s history, academic strengths, and international cooperation and exchanges. He emphasized that since Dalian and Glasgow established sister-city relationship in 1987, exchanges and cooperation between the two cities in economic, trade, cultural, and academic fields have grown increasingly close over the past four decades. Strathclyde Maritime Institute of Engineering, jointly established by DMU and the University of Strathclyde, stands as a fruitful outcome of this friendly bilateral relationship. He expressed the university’s readiness to leverage the sister-city bond and build on the Strathclyde Maritime Institute of Engineering as a platform to strengthen cooperation with the University of Strathclyde in talent cultivation, research innovation, and faculty-student exchanges, contributing to deeper collaboration and mutual benefit between Dalian and Glasgow across education, science and technology, industry, and beyond.

Ms. Jacqueline McLaren expressed gratitude for the university’s warm reception. She noted that Dalian and Glasgow have long maintained friendly exchanges, with close and sustained cooperation across various fields, and emphasized that youth exchanges serve as a vital bridge for expanding city-to-city collaboration. She expressed strong confidence in the prospects for interaction and development between young students of the two cities, welcoming DMU students to pursue academic exchanges, further studies, internships, and employment in Glasgow. She also highlighted the importance of regular youth exchanges in facilitating communication channels in education, science and technology, and industry between the two cities, and in promoting broader and deeper cooperation across all areas.

Representatives from the International Cooperation and Exchange Office and the Houston International Institute attended the meeting.

Jacqueline McLaren and her delegation visited the Maritime Education Museum and the Nautical Dynamic Simulation and Control Lab (a key laboratory at ministerial level), where they gained first-hand insight into DMU’s maritime-focused educational approach, research platform development, and talent cultivation.