The 3rd Forum for Presidents of Higher Education Institutions of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries continued today at City University of Macau (CityU), marking the second day of activities. The closing ceremony of the forum was held, during which Rector Jun Liu reflected on and summarized the two-day event. Following the enthusiastic discussions from the first day, two sub-sessions were held this morning at the Cultural Centre, hosted respectively by CityU and the Macao Polytechnic University. Leaders and scholars from universities in Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries were invited to explore topics related to artificial intelligence (AI), language technologies, and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in higher education, innovative applications, and industrial development. During the forum, CityU signed a cooperation agreement with the Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave, further expanding collaboration in international education.
This year’s Forum featured a total of five sub-sessions, with Sub-Session IV focusing on “Artificial Intelligence and Academic Cooperation Among Higher Education Institutions in Macao, the Greater Bay Area, and Portuguese-Speaking Countries.” This session, hosted by Rector Jun Liu, included an engaging discussion with Professor Roberto de Andrade Medronho, rector of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Professor Rui Vieira de Castro, rector of University of Minho, Professor Vítor Beires Nogueira, pro-rector of the University of Évora, and Professor Zhou Wanlei, vice rector and dean of the Faculty of Data Science at CityU. Rector Roberto de Andrade Medronho and Rector Rui Vieira de Castro acknowledged the disruptive impact of AI on various sectors of society. They emphasized that, in the face of common challenges, universities should collaborate and complement each other’s strengths. By effectively utilizing AI technology for educational purposes, they highlighted the importance of boosting teachers’ productivity, prioritizing creativity and innovation in talent development, and fostering high-quality talent with critical thinking and cross-cultural communication skills.
Pro-Rector Vítor Beires Nogueira shared the newly implemented “EU Artificial Intelligence Act” and proposed the feasibility of developing a regional AI act among Macao, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Association of Universities of Portuguese Language (Associação das Universidades de Língua Portuguesa, AULP). He emphasized that multi-faceted collaboration, particularly between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, was crucial for addressing issues such as the opacity of large language model (LLM) training, the uneven quality of generated content, academic ethics, big data, and computing power. Vice Rector Zhou Wanlei used CityU as an example to illustrate the on-going transition from a liberal arts university to a comprehensive research university. He shared how CityU had integrated AI and data science into its development and curriculum design in response to the transformative impact of AI, and the practical experiences gathered in interdisciplinary collaboration.
In his summary, Rector Jun Liu emphasized that adaptability was the key to success in the face of the disruptive impacts of AI. At the teaching level, he suggested incorporating AI into curriculum design and general education subjects, as well as establishing standards for AI and academic ethics to enhance the technological and application skills of both teachers and students. Additionally, he pointed out that communication skills were one area where AI currently cannot replace. Rector Liu encouraged students to develop multilingual communication skills, understand diverse cultures, and continuously broaden their horizons.
At the closing ceremony, Wong Ka Ki, deputy director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), delivered a speech emphasizing that the Macao SAR government places great importance on cultivating bilingual talents in Chinese and Portuguese. He noted that Portuguese language was a vital part of Macao's history and a key element in promoting cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. He further mentioned that, through the collaboration and efforts of the AULP members, the 3rd Forum was successfully held, yielding fruitful results.
Deputy Director Wong expressed hope that universities would continue to leverage their strengths in teaching and research, using Macao’s role as a bridge for exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to enhance the cultivation of bilingual talent.
Rector Jun Liu reviewed and summarized the five sub-sessions held during this year’s forum. He noted that participants engaged with four languages—English, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Cantonese—highlighting the event as an international forum and a celebration of cultural diversity. He expressed appreciation to the organizer, DSEDJ, and the hosts of the event, the University of Macau and CityU. He also extended his gratitude to the guests who traveled from afar from Portuguese-speaking countries.
During the forum, CityU signed a cooperation agreement with the Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave, to establish a comprehensive academic cooperation framework covering student exchange, joint cultivation, faculty and staff visit and sharing of the science and technology resources.
On the same day, leaders from Minzu University of China, Southwest Minzu University, and National University of Timor Leste visited CityU and were received by Vice Rectors Zhou Wanlei and Ip Kuai Peng. Discussions focused on academic cooperation, talent cultivation, and student exchange.
Photo credits: 3rd Forum for Presidents of Higher Education Institutions of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries
