Asian Universities Alliance set up in Beijing

An Asian Universities Alliance was established here today with an aim to enhance cooperation and communication among 15 member varsities, including one from India.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong attended the inaugural meeting, and stressed the significance of the alliance in deepening regional cooperation in Asia.
She said she expected the alliance to build a bridge between people from different cultures, while serving as a platform for international cooperation with the wisdom of Asia.
"It will make a big difference to the prosperity and the cultural exchange within the region," Liu said.
The alliance was proposed in March 2016 by Tsinghua University, where the meeting was held.

Over 400 principals, teachers and students of the 15 founding member universities from 14 countries and regions also attended, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The alliance aims to enhance cooperation and communication among Asian universities, and play a role in solving regional and global issues.
Other than the Indian Institute of Technology-Mumbai (IIT-Mumbai), the founding members include Tsinghua University, Peking University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, South Korea's National University of Seoul, Japan's Tokyo University, Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, Myanmar's Yangon University, Malaysia's University of Malaya, National University of Singapore, University of Indonesia, Sri Lanka's University of Colombo, UAE University, King Saudi University and Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University.

"Higher education should not have only one voice. Western education is also successful but I do believe that there are Eastern educational philosophy and heritage that deserves to be cherished also," Tsinghua University President Qiu Yong said.