On November 4, the 2014 Board Meeting of the Confucius Institute (CI) at the University of Queensland (UQ) was held at Tianjin University (TJU). The meeting was presided over by Professor Monique Skidmore, Chair of the CI Board and Deputy Vice Chancellor (International), UQ. Professor Liu Jianping, Vice Chair of CI Board and Party Secretary and Chairman of the University CPC Standing Committee, TJU, attended the meeting.

In the meeting, Professor Skidmore said that she was very impressed with her first visit to TJU. The first university in China, TJU has made prominent contribution to China’s modern higher education. With science and engineering being the important fields of study, TJU is comparable with UQ in many disciplines. Professor Liu Jianping appreciated the progress made by CI after five years’ of establishment, and he believed that it would continue to be a solid platform to further promote the cooperation between the two universities. The Board members then examined and approved the Minutes of the 2014 Board meeting, and discussed the plans for 2015 including strategies to deepen the cooperation. Professor Skidmore congratulated CI’s achievements in 2014, especially the successful application of integrating the HSK test into the official education system of Queensland. While thinking highly of the contribution of CI, Professor Liu Jianping hoped that the CI, the strong link between TJU and UQ, would be further engaged in the expanded student exchanges and deep cooperation in scientific research which will contribute to the social and economic development of the region and the country. The Board members also exchanged ideas on the joint training of graduate students and the development of an international scientific and technological cooperation platform.  In addition, topics of mutual interests such as higher education reforms in both countries, and scientific and technological development were discussed.

During the visit, the delegation also visited TJU’s History Museum, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and School of Life Sciences.