On September 23, China Minmetals and Northeastern University signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement in Shenyang. Zhu Kebing, Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group, Director and General Manager of China Minmetals, and Feng Xiating, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Northeastern University, jointly witnessed the signing and held talks. Cheng Yong, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy General Manager of China Minmetals, and Wang Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Northeastern University, signed the agreement on behalf of the two sides.

Zhu Kebing thanked Northeastern University for its longstanding strong support for China Minmetals, and briefed the university on China Minmetals’ overall situation and the history of cooperation between the two sides. He stated that China Minmetals is thoroughly implementing the important guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping concerning the work of central SOEs. It continues to deepen its presence across six business segments: metals and minerals, metallurgical construction, sci-tech industry, trade and logistics, finance and capital, and real estate development. It is unswervingly pursuing sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening at higher levels, and striving to advance the deep integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation. Northeastern University’s preeminent disciplines are highly aligned with China Minmetals’ core responsibilities and main business. Over the years, the two sides have developed an all-round, multi-tiered cooperation framework in areas such as joint scientific and technological research, co-building innovation platforms, and high-level talent cooperation. The two sides expressed the hope of taking this signing as a new starting point to further collaborate on tackling key core technologies, promoting the transfer and commercialization of innovation results, and deepening the cultivation of high-level engineering and technical talent and international talent, so as to jointly serve the implementation of national development strategies and open a new chapter in university-enterprise cooperation.

Feng Xiating expressed his gratitude to China Minmetals for its longstanding trust and support for Northeastern University, fully endorsed the proposed approach to cooperation and the development recommendations put forward by Zhu Kebing, and briefed the attendees on Northeastern University’s disciplinary setup and development. He stated that Northeastern University has always focused on major national strategic needs and the development direction of strategic emerging industries, and has built deep expertise in key fields such as metallurgical engineering, control science and engineering, and mining. The university is well positioned to precisely align with China Minmetals’ innovation-driven development needs in fields such as deep-earth, deep-sea, and deep-space exploration, efficient development of strategic mineral resources and R&D of new metallic materials. The two sides expressed the hope of continuing to promote the commercialization and application of innovation results, deepening cooperation in areas such as talent supply-demand matching, joint training, and education and training, so as to better support the high-quality development of China Minmetals’ core responsibilities and main business.

Before the talks, the two sides jointly visited the State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Deep Metal Mining and Equipment and the State Key Laboratory of Synthetical Automation for Process Industries.

Relevant senior officials from Northeastern University and heads of relevant departments and enterprises under China Minmetals attended the discussions.