April 30, 2009
UW hosts Chinese First Councilor Madame Liu
UW President Mark A. Emmert recently hosted State Councilor Liu Yandong and other ministers from the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
Madame Liu met with Emmert, Provost Phyllis Wise and members of the UW administration for a discussion on UW-China interests. Topics included:
- UW’s recently established Beijing office and research initiatives in China.
- The University’s efforts in dealing with the global economic downturn.
- Undergraduate education and the roles of universities and community colleges, including the UW’s campuses in Tacoma and Bothell.
- The administrative structure of the UW.
During the meeting, Emmert stressed the importance of the UW’s role in the larger sphere of US-China relations, noting, “The UW is focusing on a collaborative approach with China, where we can work together on mutual research interests, especially in the public health arena where we are working with China’s Center for Disease Control, which may have broader impacts around the world.”
He and Madame Liu affirmed their commitment to further expand the school’s long relationship with China, stating that scientific and academic collaboration will be vital elements of that relationship in the future. Madame Liu, who is the senior Chinese official overseeing the worldwide construction of Confucius Institutes to spread understanding of Chinese language and culture, was also very supportive of the University’s plans to open an institute this fall.
UW’s population of students from China continues to rise, with 674 Chinese students and 331 Chinese scholars enrolled. This includes 109 students from Hong Kong and two scholars from Macau. UW is also home to two highly active organizations of Chinese students, the Chinese Students Association and Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
Key to the University’s relationship with China will be the UW’s new Office of Global Affairs, led by recently appointed Vice Provost of Global Affairs Stephen Hanson. Of the UW-China relationship Hanson said, “The UW and China have a lot to offer one another. While China as a nation continues to rise towards international prominence, China’s pool of talented academic and scientific researchers offers a unique opportunity for international research collaboration for our UW faculty.”
“We cherish and nurture our relationship with China, as the state of Washington is geographically well positioned to strengthen both its trade and cultural ties with the Asian-Pacific region,” said Provost Wise. Wise stressed that together, the UW and China have the expertise and resources to address some of the world’s most urgent problems. Wise and Hanson will be traveling to China in the fall of 2009 to meet with key government and academic institutional leaders to discuss further cooperation between the UW and China.
