On the morning of April 14, 2015, the opening ceremony of the Australian National University Day was successfully held at the Yingjie Exchange Center of Peking University (PKU). Professor Ian Young AO, President of Australian National University (ANU), along with a delegation from ANU attended the ceremony, and Lin Jianhua, President of PKU and Li Yansong, Vice President of PKU received them.
Lin Jianhua, President of PKU first extended a warm welcome to the honorable guests and complimented ANU on its academic reputation. President Li noted that collaboration between the two universities dated back to 1980s. Since then, significant progress in collaboration has been made in various fields including engineering, health, and medical science. President Li expressed his sincere hope that PKU and ANU, both national universities located in capital cities and having considerable importance in society, should seize every chance of further exchange and cooperation. Afterward, Ian Young AO, President of ANU and Andrew Barr, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory each gave a 20-minute speech on the topic “The Role Universities Play in the Development of State Economy”, listing features that world-class universities should have to better serve the country.
Following the speech, the delegation from ANU took questions from the audience and answered some queries about the Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW), a research institution established to enhance the existing capabilities of ANU. Stressing that China is playing an incredibly important part in the world, ANU has determined to focus academic research on China. They also expressed their willingness to build a stronger relationship and promote further cooperation in the future.
Written by Liu Meina
