Source: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Written by: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Proofread by: Guo Lianlian
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On the morning of May 30, 2016, a three-member delegation led by Professor Katherine Belov, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) of the University of Sydney, visited Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). Members of the delegation also included Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Riegel, Director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.

Prof. Li Mengfeng, Vice President of SYSU, met with the guests in Zhongshan Building on Guangzhou South Campus, accompanied by Prof. Lu Jiahai, Director the One Health Center of the School of Public Health, and Ms. Xu Yao, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation & Exchange.

Prof. Li Mengfeng extended a warm welcome to Prof. Katherine Belov on her first visit to SYSU and introduced SYSU’s recent developments. He pointed out that the two universities have kept good relations for ten years, and hoped that the two sides would consolidate existing collaborations and explore new opportunities for cooperation.

Prof. Katherine Belov thanked SYSU for the warm reception and briefly introduced the University of Sydney. She said that the University of Sydney would establish an overseas office in Suzhou, China, to promote cooperation with Chinese universities. She pointed out that the two universities have conducted research cooperation in breast cancer and Chinese medicine, and she hoped that the two sides would further deepen cooperation.

The two sides also discussed possibilities of faculty and student exchange, and exchanged opinions on exploring cooperation in marine sciences and health sciences.

On the morning of May 31, Prof. Li Mengfeng attended the Guangzhou-Sydney Sustainability Forum and delivered a speech on behalf of Sun Yat-sen University. The Forum, as part of the serial events to celebrate 30 years of the Sydney Guangzhou sister city relationship, was jointly organized by the University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, and the University of New South Wales, Australia, with the aim to discuss themes on sustainable development, energy, water and infrastructure.

Established in 1850, the University of Sydney is a member of the Group of Eight (Go8) universities in Australia. It is ranked 45th in the 2015-2016 QS World University Rankings. Its Arts and Humanities achieved a rank of equal 14th globally, both Life Sciences and Medicine and Social Sciences and Management were ranked 20th in the world.

SYSU and the University of Sydney signed a memorandum of understanding in 2006, and an agreement on the Australia-China Centre for Research in Chinese Medicine in 2007. At present, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of SYSU and the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Sydney have cooperation in seminar, faculty exchange and research. Moreover, the two universities have conducted cooperation and exchange in the fields of physics, business and Oceanian studies.