Asian cooperation in the region is not the first time. As early as 2003, the United Nations Environment Program and Tongji University promoted the proposed Asia-Pacific University Union (RUC). The alliance members included China's Tongji University, Australia's New South Wales University, Griffith University and Wollongong University, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, Thailand's Asian Institute of Technology, and the United States Yale University Forest and Environment College. Mainly Environmental and sustainable development issues were related to the discussion. The new alliance proposed by Tsinghua University will not limit to any specific areas. It includes scientific research, education, academic and other panoramic all-round promotion of Asia's higher education.
In the spring of 2016, Tsinghua University announced that it would take the lead in initiating the Alliance of Asian Universities and received a positive response from many Asian universities. In September 2016, the coalition preparatory meeting was held successfully in Beijing. The meeting reached consensus on the draft constitution, the alliance's organizational structure, operational mode, and project activities. On April 29, 2017, the Asian University Alliance (AUA) was officially established, and the first summit was held at Tsinghua University. Tsinghua University, Peking University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Korea National University of Seoul, Japan's University of Tokyo, National University of Singapore and other colleges and universities served as the founder of the Asian University Alliance members to participate in the summit. By then, the league also published the annual report on Asian higher education.
Tsinghua University has invited more than 20 Asian countries and regions of the representative universities jointly initiated the establishment of the Asian University Alliance. The Alliance intends to combine the annual meeting and the annual activities. It will utilize Boao Forum for Asia as a platform for the important activities and related cooperation. Relying on the rich resources of the Boao Forum for Asia, it promotes Asian universities, government, business, exchanges, and cooperation, including Asian University Union Student Forum, student education technology, and cultural exchange project.
Higher education should not only have a Western voice. The East educational thinking and practice also have a lot to spread, cherish, and inherit. Various colleges and universities in the region should jointly explore the value of Asia, the Asian university's educational philosophy, to enhance Asian universities in the global context, to encourage the right to speak, to promote Asian universities, and promote the development of higher education in Asia overall.
The AUA will take the organizational structure of the annual meeting with the annual activities, relying on the Boao Forum for Asia to promote academic exchanges between Asian universities; accelerate the flow of top scientific and technological achievements from academia to industry; promote schools and government. The alliance will greatly promote the cooperation of Asian scientific research work and integration of educational resources to achieve complementary advantages. At that time, the exchanges between scholars and students will be more convenient and effectively responsive to Asia. These extensive connections and collaborations will contribute to the realization of the "lasting peace and common development of Asian dreams", and face the problems and challenges of the world.
Edited by Ran Yu
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