Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, is visiting Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong this week to connect with partners, alumni and fellow universities in China.
A delegation of cross-faculty academics has joined Professor Ivison including Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President International, Professor Zhongdong Wang, Associate Dean for International in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Qing-Jun Meng, Associate Dean for International (Research & Innovation) in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health.
For the first stop of the visit in Beijing, the delegation met with the British Embassy, the British Council and the China Scholarship Council before visiting partners of The University of Manchester, Tsinghua University and Peking University.
In Shanghai, academics met with staff and toured the facilities at the China Centre before visiting partner institutions Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University.
The trip concludes in Hong Kong, where the group will visit the East Asia Centre before spending the evening at a panel discussion held at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre. There will also be a breakfast event with the Hong Kong Foundation for The University of Manchester (HKFUM).
Alumni receptions have been organised in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, to give the visiting academics the chance to meet with former students of the University.
This trip to China marks Professor Ivison’s first official overseas visit since assuming the post of President and Vice-Chancellor of the University in 2024.
Professor Ivison said: “The University of Manchester has a long and proud history of collaboration with our partners in China, and it has been so meaningful to connect with our alumni, staff, fellow universities and prospective students during our visit. Their experiences, insights and ongoing connection to Manchester are invaluable to us as we look to the future and continue to shape our Manchester 2035 strategy.
“International partnerships will remain a key focus for our University, and we look forward to progressing our relationships with our network in China over the coming years. In today’s complex global landscape, academic collaborations and the friendships forged by these exchanges are more important than ever.”
