University of Birmingham welcomes Chinese Embassy visitors

The University of Birmingham hosts Counsellor Shen Yang and three other representatives from the Education section at the Chinese Embassy, this week. The Embassy visit to Birmingham highlights growing civic and academic ties with China. It is an opportunity for representatives to meet the Vice Chancellor and other senior University staff and to discuss the development of the University's relationships with academic, government and commercial organisations in China. The University has enjoyed a long history of engagement with China dating back over 100 years and last year saw the establishment of the University of Birmingham Centre in Guangzhou, Birmingham's sister city, to support its emerging activities and collaboration in the region. The University's engagement in Guangzhou focuses primarily on research collaboration in areas of strategic importance, such as health care, neurosciences and the environment and is supported by close relations with Guangzhou Municipal Government. Recognising the University's growing academic interests in China, the University is set to launch a China Institute in the autumn as an umbrella structure for the various China interests on the University's Edgbaston campus. The visit provided an opportunity to share plans around the new Institute.