KIEV, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Ma Shengkun visited Ukraine's National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music (UNTAM) on Tuesday, where he held talks with the academy's head Maksym Tymoshenko, according to the embassy's press service.

During the meeting, Ma emphasized the Chinese government's commitment to fostering international collaboration in high-quality education and promoting partnership based on openness and mutual learning.

He highlighted China's support for its universities in developing educational partnership with institutions worldwide, including those in Ukraine.

Ma acknowledged UNTAM's extensive experience in inter-university cooperation with China and expressed the hope that the academy will continue strengthening its ties with Chinese institutions, and play an active role in deepening educational and humanitarian exchanges between the two countries.

For his part, Tymoshenko said that UNTAM attaches great importance to enhancing its cooperation with China and stands ready to further expand ties.

Tymoshenko expressed the academy's readiness to continue contributing to educational and cultural exchanges between China and Ukraine.

UNTAM has a history of strong ties with China. In 2019, it became home to Europe's first Confucius Music Center. The following year, UNTAM hosted a musical performance titled "I am with You" composed by world-renowned Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk as a gesture of solidarity with China during the fight against COVID-19. Besides, UNTAM raised 500,000 hryvnia (about 12,000 U.S. dollars) to purchase medical supplies in support of China's efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier this month, Ma also visited the Taras Shevchenko National University and the Kiev National Linguistic University. ■