People take part in the Ireland-China Education Forum in Dublin, Ireland, on March 20, 2018. The high-level forum aimed at promoting the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Irish higher education institutions was held here on Tuesday. Over 100 delegates from top universities of both sides such as Peking University, Nanjing University, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin attended the one-day event. (Xinhua)

DUBLIN, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A high-level forum aimed at promoting the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Irish higher education institutions was held here on Tuesday.

Over 100 delegates from top universities of both sides such as Peking University, Nanjing University, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin attended the one-day event entitled "Ireland-China Education Forum".

Chinese Ambassador to Ireland Yue Xiaoyong and officials from the Irish Department of Education and Skills as well as some Irish university students who are interested in studying in China also attended the forum.

Jointly organized by Enterprise Ireland and China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE),the forum held at Clontarf Castle Hotel consisted of three parts, namely conference speeches, social networking and a "Study in China" exhibition.

Participants of the forum reached a better understanding of each side through in-depth exchanges of views and warm interactions and some of them have demonstrated great interest in cooperation with each other or studying in China, said Zhao Lingshan, secretary general of CEAIE.

Zhao said that the cooperation between the Chinese and Irish higher education institutions has showed an unprecedented good momentum in recent years. Over the last decade, the number of Chinese students studying in Ireland has grown rapidly, reaching to 15,000 in total while more than 300 Irish students have come to study in China.

Many universities in China and Ireland have launched cooperative university-running programs, he said, adding that the rich and diverse bilateral education exchanges, student mobility and scientific research cooperation have become one of the most productive cooperation areas between China and Ireland.

CEAIE is a non-governmental organization specialized in promotion of international exchanges and cooperation of Chinese higher education institutions with the rest of the world. The delegation led by CEAIE for the forum consists of 72 representatives from 33 top Chinese universities, said Zhao.

Tuesday's forum is the third of its kind and also the largest of its kind ever held between Ireland and China, said Barry O'Driscoll, senior education adviser with Enterprise Ireland, a state agency responsible for marketing Ireland including its higher education institutions overseas.

The previous two forums were held in Ireland and China in 2015 and 2016, he said.