The University of Cádiz (UCA) has carried out an institutional mission in China from February 23 to March 2, framed within its internationalization strategy, with the Asia-Pacific region as a priority geographical area. The Cádiz delegation has been composed of the Vice-Rector for Internationalization, Marcela Iglesias, and the General Director of the Promotion of Internationalization, Sofía Pérez de Guzmán.
The mission coincided with the celebration of the annual Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) fair, which took place in Hong Kong from February 23 to 26, 2026, an event that brings together universities from around the world. UCA has participated as part of the delegation of Spanish universities integrated into the Study in Spain stand, coordinated by the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE).
During the fair, the delegation from the University of Cádiz held meetings with representatives from 18 universities, both current partners of UCA and new institutions from various countries. Among them are Adolfo Ibáñez University (Chile); Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (China); ISEM OUEST (France); Universitas Indonesia (Indonesia); Soka University (Japan); Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico); nine Turkish universities — Anadolu University, Anurag University, Atatürk University, Baiburt University, Bolut Abant Izzet Baysal University, Çukorova University, Dicle University, Gelisim University, and Ondokuz Mayis University — as well as Vanlang University (Vietnam). A meeting was also held with partner universities of the SEA-EU consortium, specifically UNIST and Nord University.
In these meetings, shared interests in mobility and academic exchange have been identified, including the Erasmus+ Program, Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP), Capacity Building projects, Staff Weeks, and visitor researcher programs. UCA has also presented its academic offerings at undergraduate and graduate levels, both in Spanish and English, with special attention to the Joint Programmes of the SEA-EU consortium. The International Summer School and intensive Spanish courses offered by the Higher Center for Modern Languages (CSLM) were also introduced. At the Study in Spain stand, the delegation received a visit from the general consul of Spain in Hong Kong, Miguel Aguirre de Cárcer García del Arenal.
The institutional agenda continued with visits to four universities in Hong Kong, Macao, and Beijing, as part of the Spanish delegation coordinated by SEPIE. In Hong Kong (February 26), the facilities of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) were visited; in Macao (February 27), the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST); and in Beijing (March 1), Tsinghua University and Beijing Jiaotong University. In all of them, working meetings were held with institutional representatives, in which each delegation presented their university, their main lines of research and teaching, and their collaboration interests, agreeing to advance in signing agreements for the development of joint activities.
Likewise, bilateral meetings were held with professors from the Spanish Language and Literature departments of Shenzhen University (February 26) and Beijing University (February 28).
The mission also included meetings at the Spanish Embassy in China. On March 1, the delegation held a working meeting with Spain's ambassador to China, Marta Betanzos Roig, in which the Spanish universities expressed their interests and impressions after the visits made and received guidance on cooperation with Chinese institutions. That same day a meeting was held with the Education Counselor of the Spanish Embassy in Beijing, María Luisa Ochoa, and with Adrián Gutiérrez Árboles, advisor of the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), with the aim of understanding existing areas of collaboration between higher education institutions in Spain and China and the funding programs available at the governmental level.