Peking University attends the 11th China-Japan University Presidents Conference
Nov 18, 2019
Peking University, November 16, 2019: On November 5 and 6, the 11th China-Japan University Presidents Conference was held at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Themed “Connect the Present and the Future, Open a new door of cooperation”, the conference attracted more than 40 well-known universities as well as six government organizations and academic institutions in China and Japan to participate.
In his keynote speech titled “The Changing World and the Era of Cooperation” Peking University Vice President Wang Bo reviewed the long-standing and comprehensive cooperation between Peking University and Japanese universities. He said that universities should play a more important role in the world experiencing extensive and profound changes, making unprecedented sci-tech advances, confronting emerging global crises, and still looking forward to broader and deeper cooperation. Wang Bo suggested universities should promote cooperation in diverse fields of knowledge, especially the combination and rebalance of Science and Humanities, to establish a holistic vision and reduce future risks of social anxiety. Besides, efforts should be made to promote cooperation between universities, society, enterprises and governments, so that universities can gain more sustainable development momentum while shouldering more social responsibility conscientiously. He also stressed the significance of strengthening international cooperation between universities and creating more opportunities for scholars' exchanges and personnel training by building dialogue platforms and research institutions, promoting mutual trust and mutual understanding in different civilizations. He hoped that via the platform provided by this conference, China and Japan could join hands to promote themselves in response to global crises and challenges.
In his keynote speech, Waseda University President Aiji Tanaka said that with the development of economic globalization, universities in China and Japan should make positive contributions to peace and prosperity in East Asia through exchanges in higher education. He hoped that Waseda University would deepen exchanges with Chinese universities and strengthen cooperation in cultivating international talents for global issues such as climate change.
In the sub-forum, representatives of universities and institutions in China and Japan focused on the development trend of higher education in both countries, and dedicated discussions on the topics of “Exploring the Role of Universities in the Globalization of Higher Education: Aiming at the Balance between Pursuing Academic Value and Fulfilling Social Responsibility” and "Exploring Asia's Cooperative Education and Cooperative Research Model: Case Sharing of Inter-University Cooperation Projects between China and Japan".
During the forum, Wang Bo met with the president of Keio University, Akira Haseyama. The two sides expressed their willingness to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation and reached a consensus on expanding exchanges of international students, strengthening joint training, and strengthening scientific research cooperation. About the future development of the conference, Wang Bo exchanged ideas with Aiji Tanaka and Sawako Shirahase, executive vice president of the University of Tokyo.
On the afternoon of November 6, the conference rounded off in congenial discussions. Chinese Sun Yat-Sen University, Japanese Sophia University, and Kanazawa University were granted full memberships to the conference. The 12th China-Japan University Presidents Conference will be held at Sun Yat-sen University in 2021.
The Group Photo
The China-Japan University Presidents Conference was co-sponsored by Peking University and the University of Tokyo. It held its first meeting in Tokyo in October 2000 and has been held every two years since then. The conference has become one of the high-level platforms for higher education exchanges between China and Japan.
Written by: Jian Jingwen
Edited by: Wei Yunqi
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
