OALC

1. Peking University and CUHK Co-Host 2020 Forum on Building World Class Universities and Annual Meeting of the Association of University Presidents of China
2. Presidents of CUHK and Fudan University Meet to Discuss Collaborative Plans

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Peking University and CUHK Co-Host 2020 Forum on Building World Class Universities and Annual Meeting of the Association of University Presidents of China

Peking University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) co-organised the 2020 Forum on Building World Class Universities and the Meeting of the Association of University Presidents of China (AUPC) from 16 to 17 October in Dongguan, Guangdong. The Forum and meeting were successfully held with generous support of the Dongguan Municipal Government. Prof. Tan Tie-Niu, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Prof. Wang Xi, Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province; Mr. Liang Wei-Dong, Party Secretary of the Dongguan Municipal Government, Mr. Xu Yong-Ji, Deputy Director of the Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Education; and Prof Hao Ping, President of Peking University officiated at the opening ceremony. Around 100 participants attended the events including Presidents/Vice Presidents of AUPC member institutions and representatives of Ministry of Education.

Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK participated in the activities, specifically in a forum on future development paths for China universities with presentations given by officials from the Ministry of Education and member institutions of AUPC. AUPC members include Peking University, Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xi’an Jiaotong University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and The University of Hong Kong. Heads of the 12 AUPC universities shared their plans and strategies on the three themes of the Forum, namely “The Evaluation and Prospect of Building First Class Universities”, “Challenges and Responsibilities of Universities in the Post Pandemic Era” and “How Do First Class Universities Serve Regional Social and Economic Development”.

Professor Tuan delivered a talk on the challenges and responsibilities of higher education in the post pandemic period. He said that universities are more instrumental than ever and have the responsibility to develop creative and actionable approaches and solutions, and provide leadership to make education and research more relevant to societal and global sustainable development. Professor Tuan, the current President of AUPC, also convened and chaired the annual round table meeting of AUPC on 16 October. During the meeting, the participating senior members exchanged opinions on the future endeavors of AUPC and their concerted efforts in creating positive impacts to the future development of higher education development.

AUPC was founded in 1997, comprising member institutions including nine top mainland universities and three research universities in Hong Kong. The Association aims to dedicate its expertise and coordinate resources to the development of higher education in China. Apart from annual meetings and Presidents Forums among member universities, it also forged and encouraged research collaboration, scholar and student exchange, and joint supervision of postgraduate students among member institutions.

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Presidents of CUHK and Fudan University Meet to Discuss Collaborative Plans

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Fudan University (FDU) held a meeting in Dongguan on 16 October to discuss future cooperation plans. The meeting was co-chaired by Professor Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and Professor Xu Ningsheng, President of FDU with participants of the two universities joining the discussion online or face-to-face. CUHK representatives comprised Professor Fok Tai-fai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor; Professor Chan Wai-Yee, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sham Mai-har, Pro-Vice-Chancellor; Professor Wong Suk-ying, Associate Vice-President; and Ms. Wing Wong, Director of Academic Links (China). Representatives of FDU included heads from the Double First-Class Office, Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, School of Life Sciences, the Children’s Hospital of FDU, Department of History and Shanghai-Hong Kong Development Institute.

The meeting focused on the new mode of cooperation and exchange between FDU and CUHK in the post-epidemic era, covering areas such as the updates of the establishment of the joint research center in Life and Biomedical Sciences, the joint training scheme for master’s programme in Geography and Tourism, as well as the recent development of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Development Institute.

Since the establishment of partnership in 1985, CUHK and FDU have carried out a wide range of collaborative projects. Both universities are key member institutions in Alliance of University General Education, The Association of University Presidents of China, Shanghai-Hong Kong University Alliance, University College Alliance and China-UK Humanities Alliance. The two universities signed an agreement on Joint Training Scheme in 2019 for talent nurturing. The meeting further enhanced understanding and bolstered the linkage, building closer collaboration platforms for further partnership development.