The China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Australia's University of Adelaide and formally forged a new-type cultural partnership at the opening ceremony of the Pavilion of Australia, the Guest Country of Honor at the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing on Sep 10.

According to the MoU, the CAEG and the University of Adelaide will further deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of artistic talent cultivation, cultural exchanges and co-creation, students' career development plans and youth arts education, build efficient coordination bridges for the exchanges between Chinese and Australian artistic talents and cross-cultural artistic practices, share high-quality resources, and advance the integrated development between cultural and educational sectors.

Those in attendance of signing ceremony included Scott Dewar, Australian ambassador to China, Daniel Boyer, deputy CEO of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, and Dominic Trindade, minister (commercial) at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing in this July, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the two nations shall further strengthen people-to-people ties and that China welcomes Australians from all walks of life to visit the country and stands ready to invite more Australian youth for exchange programs.

Therefore, the CAEG proactively got contact with the University of Adelaide and took solid actions to translate relevant requirements into fruitful results from the perspectives of cultural and two-way people-to-people exchanges.

As a leading centrally-administered state-owned enterprise in international cultural exchanges, the CAEG has firmly adhered to its mission of telling Chinese stories and making Chinese voice heard abroad and taken consistent efforts to promote the in-depth integration between Chinese and international culture. "There are solid foundations and bright prospect for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Australia. The cooperation with the University of Adelaide is an important effort made by the CAEG to nurture international talents and undertake arts education. The cooperation will create tremendous development opportunities for young people and students of the two countries. The CAEG is looking forward to working together toward fostering artistic talents with cross-cultural communication competence and extraordinary skills," said Ji Suchen, member of the Leading Party Members' Group of the CAEG, at an interview.

David Lewis, deputy chancellor of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology at the University of Adelaide, led the delegation to attend the CIFTIS and signed the cooperation deal on behalf of the university. "The collaboration with the CAEG will have wide-reaching international impact through the in-deep integration between education and culture. The University of Adelaide aspires to be one of highly globally-connected universities in Australia," he added.

Luke Dollman, an associate professor at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, also conveyed expectations for future cooperation with the CAEG. He said that the partnership will offer artists more opportunities to broaden their international horizons and professional expertise.

Founded in 1874 and located in Adelaide of South Australia, the University of Adelaide is one of Australia's three oldest universities. Its Elder Conservatorium of Music, which was established in 1883, is renowned worldwide for high-level teaching, research, and performance. It has provided education in all musical disciplines and its graduates have made their presence in international artistic stages and played vital roles. The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia became formally emerged in last July. The new Adelaide University will officially commence in January 2026. It currently ranks 82nd in the 2026 QS World University Rankings.

Meanwhile, the CAEG will fully leveraged the CIFTIS to show its firm resolve in further deepening its international cultural cooperation and promote mutual learning between different civilizations. In the future, the CAEG will take the cooperation with the University of Adelaide as a starting point to engage in the exploration of new models for cultural and educational integration and inject fresh vitality into China-Australia cultural exchanges.