P R E S S   R E L E A S E

         Located at the centre of Peking University campus to serve all mainland institutions, the Liaison Office was officially opened on 6 October 1998 by Professor Chen Jiaer, President of Peking University, and Professor Arthur K C Li, Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

         At the opening ceremony, Professor Li thanked the academic and research institutions on the mainland for their unceasing efforts to promote academic exchanges and collaborative research with The Chinese University of Hong Kong and stressed that the setting up of the Liaison Office will further facilitate cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland, which will contribute toward human resource development and enhancing collaborative projects that benefit both Hong Kong and the mainland. 

         Professor Li was leading a CUHK delegation to Peking University during 5-6 October 1998 for the purpose of strengthening cooperation between the two universities in their pursuit of excellence. Members of the delegation included Professor Ambrose King, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and Deans or representatives of all seven Faculties. Professor Ren Yanshen, the Party Secretary of Peking University, Professor Chen Jiaer, President of Peking University, Professor Chi Huisheng, Executive Vice-President of Peking University and senior representatives from different Departments and Faculties of Peking University held in-depth discussion with the CUHK delegation on possible collaboration between the two universities to develop areas of excellence.  They also examined strategies for educational and human resource development.  Several long-term collaborative projects had been launched to promote scientific and educational development. 

         Engineering experts of the two universities are planning to set up the Joint Centre for Intelligence Engineering to facilitate technological development and technology transfer.  Teachers of the Department of Economics and the Faculty of Business Administration of CUHK will work with the Research Centre on Chinese Economy of Peking University to look into problems, solutions and strategies relating to the economic and financial development in China.  The "Dragon League" will be forged jointly by the accountancy departments of CUHK, Peking University, Fudan University and Taiwan University to elevate the standards of accountancy practices in China to the highest international standing.  Moreover, the Departments of Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Geography of CUHK will collaborate with their counterparts at Peking University to set up the Joint Laboratory for Integrated Environmental Science and the Joint Laboratory for Plant Genetic Engineering.  Other collaborative projects include research on remote sensing and geo-informatics, brain functions and development, welfare policies, financial mathematics and risk management, and many others.  CUHK's Faculty of Arts and Humanities Department of Peking University are also actively seeking cooperation opportunities in various areas of excellence. 

         CUHK has over the years established and maintained close links with numerous higher institutions of learning in Mainland China and abroad.  The first local university to revitalize academic exchanges and collaboration with mainland institutions, CUHK has sealed formal academic agreements and started collaborative programmes with many prestigious institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiatong University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.  The Joint Laboratory for Geo-Information Science and the Shanghai-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Chemical Syntheses were set up in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.  CUHK's School of Accountancy and Peking University jointly offered the Executive Programme on Accountancy, Finance, Taxation and Business Law for senior executives.  CUHK's Asia-Pacific Institute of Business has recently organized the first Financial Training Programme for senior mainland officials together with the Ministry of Information Industry.  Computer-aided design programmes and research projects on housing and energy conservation are carried out by CUHK's Architecture Department and the Department of Civil Engineering of Tsinghua University.  Tsinghua University works with CUHK's Department of Biochemistry in biotechnology research as well.  Moreover, CUHK and Peking University will join efforts to train doctoral students in Chemistry. 

         Earlier this year, Professor Arthur K C Li was invited to deliver a keynote speech at a forum to celebrate the centennial of Peking University, and CUHK organized Internet broadcast of Peking University's celebration programme in Hong Kong and around the world.  CUHK also hosted the Hong Kong Secretariat of the Association of University Presidents of China, which was established in 1997 to provide a platform for developing exchanges and cooperation for the advancement of higher education in China.  Over the years, CUHK has worked with mainland institutions to train high calibre personnel.  With the assistance of Peking University and Fudan University, the first batch of undergraduate students recruited from the mainland joined CUHK this September.  The Guangzhou Chinese Medical University will assist CUHK's new Programme of Chinese Medicine in providing training opportunities for students of the new Programme which will start next year. 

         It is anticipated that exchanges and collaboration between CUHK and mainland institutions of excellence will become closer and more frequent after the establishment of CUHK's Liaison Office in Beijing.  Professor Arthur K C Li emphasized that ties with academic institutions on the mainland and around the world are of special importance to CUHK in its efforts to meet the challenges of the 21st century. 
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