On the morning of October 31, a four-member delegation from the University of Havana, Cuba, including Dionisio Zaldivar Silva, Vice President for International Affairs and First Vice President of the University, as well as President of the Cuban Society of Chemistry, and Dr. Sergio Luis Peña Martínez, Dean of the Higher Institute of Design, visited our university at our invitation. President Wei Shizhong welcomed the delegation in the VIP Room at the Dongfeng Campus, with key personnel from the International Cooperation and Exchange Department and the School of Art & Design also in attendance.

President Wei extended a warm welcome to the delegation and provided a brief overview of our university's achievements in recent years. He stressed that our university has established a strong foundation in light industry disciplines, with significant achievements in both teaching and research. The School of Art & Design, as a key and distinctive faculty, has developed a unique academic identity and notable disciplinary advantages over many years of development, becoming a key center for cultivating design and art talents in Henan and across China, with a strong reputation in the industry. He highly commended the University of Havana's remarkable achievements in design, emphasizing the strong alignment between the academic disciplines of both universities and the tremendous potential for collaboration. He expressed hope that this visit would provide a valuable opportunity to strengthen communication between both universities, deepen mutual learning, and work together towards high-quality development.

On behalf of the University of Havana, Dionisio Zaldivar Silva extended his heartfelt thanks for the warm reception and meticulous arrangements provided by our university. He stated that the University of Havana attaches great importance to the potential for cooperation with our university, and looks forward to fostering deep, multi-faceted exchange and cooperation especially in the fields of art and design to support talent cultivation and discipline development at both universities.

The two universities held in-depth discussions and reached broad consensus on key topics, including the joint development of high-level talents, student exchange programs, Spanish language training, the alignment of art and design disciplines, and collaborative research projects.Dionisio Zaldivar Silva and his delegation also attended the 2nd Central Plains Design International Academic Conference, hosted by our School of Art & Design, and toured the school's facilities, offering high praise for the school's education level and talent cultivation quality.

This visit by the delegation from the University of Havana will further deepen the friendly cooperation between the two universities. Moving forward, both universities will work to expand their exchange and cooperation in areas such as education, culture, and arts, with disciplinary cooperation as the link and talent cultivation at the core. Together, they will strive to cultivate more internationally-oriented, application-driven talents who are globally-minded and possess strong cross-cultural communication skills, thus providing new momentum for the advancement of cooperation and cultural exchange between Chinese and Cuban universities.