An opening ceremony hosted by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) in Beijing on 17 May marked the establishment of CityU’s Beijing Liaison Office, followed by an alumni dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of CityU.

 

The new office is designed to strengthen ties with the mainland government, universities, science and technology institutions, enterprises, students and alumni. It will facilitate academic exchanges, and coordinate mainland student recruitment as well as alumni activities.

 

The Beijing Liaison Office is located on the campus of Beihang University. It is the second regional base for CityU’s endeavours in the mainland following the establishment of the Shanghai Liaison Office in Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

 

An agreement on academic cooperation was signed by Professor Way Kuo, University President, and Professor Huai Jinpeng, President of Beihang University during the event.

 

Representatives from CityU include Professor Roderick Wong Sue-cheun, Vice-President (Development and External Relations); Professor Lu Jian, Vice-President (Research and Technology); Professor Matthew Lee Kwok-on, Director of Communications and Public Relations Office; Ms Kathy Chan Yin-ling, Associate Vice-President (Alumni Relations); and Dr David Cheng Xing, Associate Vice-President (Mainland and External Affairs).

 

Among the invited guests were Mr Zhang Qin, Secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology; Mr Cao Guoying, Deputy Director General of the Department of Basic Research; Ms Lou Jing, Deputy Director General from the Science and Technology Division in the Ministry of Education; and Mr Zhao Lingshan, Deputy Director of the Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Education.

There were around 100 participants, among whom were CityU alumni and representatives from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nankai University, Tianjin University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Renmin University of China.

 

Mr Herman Hu Shao-ming, Council Chairman of CityU, was unable to attend the ceremony but sent a congratulatory message: “The Beijing Liaison Office signifies a new milestone in the University’s efforts to cooperate with universities in the mainland. I hope the office will help CityU and mainland universities draw on each other’s strengths to broaden and deepen cooperation for facilitating the social and economic development of Hong Kong and the mainland.”

 

Professor Kuo introduced CityU’s new ranking, cooperation projects with the mainland universities and organisations, and the funding received by the City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute at the ceremony. “CityU has been committed to promoting cooperation with the mainland over the years, and has developed extensive academic exchanges and cooperation with elite universities in the mainland,” he said.

 

He also thanked Beihang University for letting CityU set up the office on its campus. “Beijing is counted as a crucial foothold for the development of CityU in the mainland, where still greater achievements await.”

 

Around 100 people including Professor Kuo, CityU senior management, alumni living in Beijing and neighbouring cities, and representatives from other universities gathered at the dinner titled “CityU 30th Anniversary Alumni Reunion@Beijing” after the ceremony. The alumni met old friends and got the latest information on the University’s achievement and development.

 

Besides the liaison offices in Shanghai and Beijing, the University has developed extensive academic cooperation with 75 universities in the mainland, including the China-CityU Joint Advanced Research Centre in Suzhou, and research institutes in Shenzhen and Chengdu. Among the 118 joint projects are MOUs, exchange programmes, joint research student supervision scheme, juridical science programmes for mainland judges, joint DBA programme, and the building of research facilities.

 

CityU has experienced dramatic growth in its research endeavours in the mainland. Research teams at the City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute have been awarded RMB 87 million for funding 184 research projects in the past four years. Since 2005, the University has partnered with 10 mainland universities on joint doctorate student supervision schemes, which have nurtured approximately 180 researchers.

 

 

Notes to editors: The photos will be sent via email.

 

Filename: CityU-BLO_1.jpg

Caption: An agreement on academic cooperation was signed by Professor Way Kuo (left), CityU President, and Professor Huai Jinpeng, President of Beihang University.

 

Filename: CityU-BLO_2.jpg

Caption: CityU senior management and guests celebrated the establishment of CityU’s Beijing Liaison Office.

 

 

Lisa Li, Beijing Liaison Office, CityU

(Tel: (+86 1082332753/+86 13911044011, Email: bjoffice@cityu.edu.hk)

 

Christina Wu, Communications and Public Relations Office, CityU  (Tel: +852 3442 6819/+86 14714359778, Email: christina.wu@cityu.edu.hk)