The delegation was received by General Manager Mr. Akram Rajoub, the Governor of Nablus; Professor Maher Natsheh, Acting President; the vice presidents and assistants and a number of department directors at An-Najah.

The visit aimed at discussing possible means of mutual cooperation in in the realms of economic and cultural exchange in a way that serves the Palestinian cause through the Silk Road project.

The delegation met with the University administration where Pro. Natsheh talked in details about An-Najah history and the political and financial challenges that encounter higher education in Palestine. He also commended the role of the Republic of China in supporting the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people in regard to education.

He then briefed the delegation on the University academic and architectural developments and the national and international achievements according to global rankings. He further talked about the University diverse academic programme, scientific centres and An-Najah National University Hospital.

In turn, Mr. Jianzhong thanked An-Najah staff for their hospitability and talked about the importance of the cooperation between Palestine and China. He mentioned that China pays great attention to education and aims to receive students from different parts of the world. He also commended An-Najah's academic progress on different levels.

Mr. Al-Masri stressed importance of the Republic of China interest in Palestine and said that the project seeks peace and security in the region and contributes to the progress of the Palestinian economy through development and investment projects.

Mr. Rajoub also commended the Chinese role in supporting the Palestinian cause and stressed the importance of reinforcing this role to urge international institutions offer Palestinians their legitimate rights.

At the end of the meeting, the delegation signed an MOU with An-Najah to reinforce the cooperation and the academic and cultural exchange between the two parties.

Notes:

The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries central to cultural interaction originally through regions of Eurasia connecting the East and West and stretching from the Korean peninsula and Japan to the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road concept refers to both the terrestrial and the maritime routes connecting Asia and Europe. The overland Steppe route stretching through the Eurasian steppe is considered the ancestor to the Silk Road(s).

While the term is of modern coinage, the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk (and horses) carried out along its length, beginning during the Han dynasty (207 BCE – 220 CE).