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Peking University, Dec, 8, 2011: On the morning of December 4 (local time), PKU Council Chairman Zhu Shanlu and other PKU delegates met with Ambassador Li Baodong, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, with his wife, Minister Counselor Lu Hailin. At noon, UN Deputy Secretary-General Joseph Verner Reed held a banquet with the PKU delegation.

PKU delegation with Ambassador Li Baodong, Permanent Representative of China to the UN

Zhu Shanlu expressed gratitude for Ambassador Li’s meeting with the PKU delegation and Minister Counselor Lu Hailin’s attendance at the 5th Conference of PKU US Alumni Associations on behalf of the ambassador. Zhu also gave details about the delegation’s visits to top universities and institutes in America and Canada. He said PKU was willing to cooperate with the Permanent Representative's office to the UN in the fields of diplomatic personnel training and international studies, and kindly invited Ambassador Li to give lectures to PKU’s studentsin the future.

Looking back on his experience of studying in America, Ambassador Li pointed out that Chinese modern education should cultivate high-quality talents with a wide range of knowledge and a global outlook. What talents need is not only knowledge, but also practice. He encouraged PKU to train their students to be future leaders with a global perspective and the ability to influence the world. Zhu Shanlu responded that PKU would implement the national strategies, cultivate high-quality graduates to meet the demand of current society and make contributions to the development of China and the whole world.

At noon, UN Deputy Secretary-General Joseph Verner Reed met with the PKU delegation over a banquet. Joseph Reed is an old friend of PKU and has attended the Beijing Forum many times. He said PKU was among the first-class Chinese universities and world-famous universities and played an important part in higher education. He highly appreciated the eight-year-old Beijing Forum’s role in promoting the harmony and prosperity of human civilizations and said the Forum had made a profound impact on the rest of the world.

Zhu Shanlu thanked the UN’s long-term attention to PKU and expected more cooperation between the university and the UN. He said that PKU kept an intimate relationship with the UN and appreciated that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had sent several congratulatory letters and video messages to the Beijing Forum.

During the meeting, Zhu Shanlu and Deputy Secretary-General Reed also reached preliminary agreements on strengthening collaboration at future Beijing Forums, inviting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the 2012 Beijing Forum and jointly organizing World Civilization Dialogue.

On the same day, the delegation also visited Founder’s branch in New York and learned about the enterprise’s international development strategy. The delegates also met local PKU alumni and representatives of Chinese students and scholars overseas. They discussed freely about PKU’s efforts in establishing a world-class university and bringing in talents.

Written by: Yuan Xinchen
Edited by: Chen Long
Source: PKU News (Chinese)