Li Zhen, deputy secretary of the CPC Beijing International Studies University (BISU) Committee, led a delegation to Hong Kong from Nov 27 to 29.

The delegation were invited to participate in the council meeting of the Beijing-Hong Kong University Alliance on Nov 28 and visited the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).  

During the meeting, Li, on behalf of the university, expressed willingness to join the alliance. He briefly introduced the university's history, educational characteristics and international development, emphasizing its commitment to building a high-level foreign language university to contribute to the national development and connecting the world.

Representatives of the alliance members pose for a group photo.

The application of BISU was reviewed by 20 member institutions and was unanimously approved. The alliance provides a new platform for the university's faculty and students to exchange and further their studies in Hong Kong. As a new member of the alliance, BISU will leverage its advantages, deepen exchanges and cooperation with other member universities to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between young people from both regions and promote exchanges and integration between Beijing and Hong Kong.

The council meeting of the Beijing-Hong Kong University Alliance is held on Nov 28.

The delegation also made its first visits to the HSUHK and HKBU. BISU established online cooperative relationships with both universities during the pandemic and conducted student exchange programs. This visit aimed to further promote faculty and student exchanges, joint training and teaching and research collaboration.

The delegation pays a visit to HSUHK

HSUHK leaders met with the delegation. Li introduced BISU’s development in recent years, reviewed the cooperation achievements of the two universities and expressed gratitude for HSUHK’s support in scholarships and other areas.

Y V Hui, provost and vice-president (academic and research) of HSUHK, mentioned that students majoring in translation in BISU have a solid educational foundation. He expressed hope that the cooperation can start with translation programs and gradually expand to cover other disciplines. Both parties agreed to collaborate in student and scholar exchange, dual degree programs and affiliated secondary school construction in the fields of translation and foreign languages.

The delegation visits HKBU.

The delegation met with leaders from the HKBU on Nov 29. Li introduced BISU’s history and its international cooperation, expressing willingness to conduct student exchanges with universities in Hong Kong.

Martin Ding Fat Wong emphasized HKBU’s advantageous disciplines and discussed the areas and forms of cooperation. They also mentioned topics such as degree programs, non-degree programs, scholar exchanges, joint research, academic conferences and affiliated secondary school construction.

Beijing-Hong Kong University Alliance was established in Hong Kong in April 2018, with the guidance of the Ministry of Education and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the support of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education and the Education Bureau in Hong Kong.

It aims to gather elite universities from Beijing and Hong Kong to pursue win-win outcomes and is committed to deepening exchanges and cooperation among member universities in talent cultivation and scientific research to enhance collaboration between the two regions.

Its members include 12 universities in Beijing, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University and Beijing Foreign Studies University, as well as eight universities in Hong Kong, including the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the HKBU.

The addition of BISU and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications as new members marks the first expansion of the alliance.