Officials from Oakland County and their counterparts in China have established an International Academy in Chongqing, a major metropolitan area where manufacturing and automotive industries have a large presence. The institution, a branch of the International Academy in Bloomfield Township, will establish a working and friendly relationship between the two countries.
“(The International Academy) supports the importance of educational partnerships and shared learning between Oakland County and China that we have encouraged for more than a decade,” says Matthew Gibb, deputy county executive.
The Detroit Chinese Business Association co-hosted the contract signing agreement last week with Gibb, Chinese officials, and the International Academy, where students from North America will have the opportunity to attend the Chongqing campus.
“We are excited for the opportunity for cross-cultural exchanges with a partner school in China to further our school’s mission of instilling cultural appreciation and global citizenship in our students,” says Christopher Smith, associate principal of the International Academy.
The International Academy, which offers high school students an internationally recognized advanced education, also has campuses in White Lake Township and Troy.
Huang Qifan, mayor of Chongqing, has said in the past he wants Chongqing to develop an automotive industry similar to Detroit’s Big Three. The area is home to about 29 million people along with several automotive companies, including Ford Motor Co. The city produces more than 2 million vehicles annually.
