Vice-Chancellor returns to China
L to R: Jason Yat-sen Li, the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor attend an alumni event in Shanghai.
The Vice-Chancellor and President of the University made his second trip to China this year, together with the Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and senior leadership to continue to build on the University’s historic and close relationship.
“The Chancellor and I were delighted to visit China, with the most senior delegation to have visited in many years, to build new relationships and to continue to engage with our many education partners, deepening our collaboration on addressing critical challenges across areas such as health, climate change, sustainability and educational innovation, including through international research partnerships,” said Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott.
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of our first Chinese overseas student to attend the University of Sydney – Mr N.Y Shah from Wuhan who studied to be a teacher on his return to China. It speaks to the level of engagement the University has had with China over many years, including in language and culture teaching. We were honoured to meet hundreds of graduates and alumni during the trip and to celebrate the continuation of that long history.”
The start of the trip coincided with that of the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Professor Scott joined an event in Shanghai with 400 Australian executives, their Chinese counterparts and government representatives.
L to R: Prof Huang Jun, Prof Emma Johnston, Vice-Chancellor, Prof Baoliang Chen, Dean, College of Environmental and Resources Sciences , Vice- President He Lianzhen,Prof Zhang Qingyu, Director of the Joint Laboratory of ZJU—University of Sydney.
The trip included visits to:
- Peking University. The University works closely with Peking University on agricultural research and this visit marked the signing of an agreement to establish the International Joint Centre for Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural Development. The Centre will include a focus on research to deliver food sustainability and ensure food security in China and Australia. The visit also provided an opportunity to visit Imperial College, China’s oldest continuous academy of learning.
- Fudan University. The universities’ flagship research partnership is the Brain and Intelligence Science Alliance which focuses on data science, neuroscience and intelligence. The universities also collaborate on research on public health, diabetes and economics. The delegation’s visit included the Zhangjiang Brain Image Center, the largest brain image centre in Asia.
- Zhejiang University (ZJU). A ceremony to mark the establishment, in 2021, of the Joint Laboratory on Sustainable Environment was held. The Laboratory supports specialist research in critical areas such as climate change, sustainability economics, green hydrogen, renewable energy, zero waste, pollution management, and policies related to carbon trading, working towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of our first Chinese overseas student to attend the University of Sydney – Mr N.Y Shah from Wuhan who studied to be a teacher on his return to China. It speaks to the level of engagement the University has had with China over many years...
The Vice-Chancellor meets Vice-Mayor of Shanghai Liu Duo.
Meetings were also held with the:
- Vice-Mayor of Shanghai Liu Duo to discuss potential engagement in areas including health, biomedicine, environmental science, smart cities, and food security.
- National Academy of Education Administration to discuss educational leadership. The Vice-Chancellor spoke on education reform in Australia across all levels of the education system and how education can best serve the community.
- Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AustCham Shanghai), the peak body for Australian business in China, to attend the Shanghai Business Roundtable, hosted by CEO Simon Woods, for discussions with prominent members of the business community.
Alumni events attended by 580 graduates overall were held in Beijing and Shanghai. The Beijing event was attended by the outgoing Australian Ambassador to China Mr Graham Fletcher, a University of Sydney alumnus. Attendees at the Shanghai event included Mr Vincent Lam, the founding member of the China Alumni Network and founder and chairman of Asiaray Advertising Media, the largest airport media operator in China; and alumnus Jason Yat-sen Li, Member of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales.
Graduation event in Shanghai attended by senior leadership.
Four graduation ceremonies attended by 936 graduates were held in Shanghai. Supported by the Graduation Office and Centre in China, these ceremonies provided graduates – especially those who studied during the pandemic - with an opportunity to experience a formal ceremony to mark their academic achievement at the University.
