From September 19 to 26, Zhang Guangjun, Chair of the University Committee of HUST, led a delegation to Japan and the United States. During the visit, Prof. Zhang met with representatives from partner universities, Chinese Embassy and Consulate General, and alumni associations, aiming to further enhance inter-institutional partnerships and promote collaboration in key disciplines. He was also invited to attend the 2024 Forum of Presidents, a gathering of presidents of leading Chinese and US universities under the Sino-US “10+10” program, and delivered a speech.

In Kyoto University, Prof. Zhang and the delegation met with President Nagahiro Minato and visited Professor Tasuku Honjo, a Nobel laureate and honorary professor of HUST. The two sides signed an agreement, and the faculty and professor representatives held several academic seminars.

During the meeting with President Nagahiro Minato, Prof. Zhang expressed hope to deepen bilateral cooperation, contributing jointly to the development of higher education in Asia and the advancement of human society. President Minato reminisced about his visit to HUST and noted the significant progress the university has made in recent years as one of China’s leading institutions. He expressed his willingness to solidify the partnership between the two universities. Prof. Zhang then presented an honorary professor certificate to President Minato, looking forward to promoting high-quality, sustainable collaboration between the two universities.

Prof. Zhang visited Professor Tasuku Honjo, an honorary professor of HUST, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and Director of the Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology (CCII) at Kyoto University. He then toured the advanced research facilities and witnessed the signing of a renewed Memorandum of Academic Cooperation between HUST School of Electric and Electrical Engineering and KyotoU Institute of Advanced Energy. Additionally, a bilateral academic seminar on magnetic confinement fusion and plasma was held at the Institute of Advanced Energy.

At Juntendo University in Japan, Prof. Zhang met with CEO Hideoki Ogawa and President Hiroyuki Daida to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and presented a guest professor appointment to Hideoki Ogawa. Hideoki Ogawa highlighted the longstanding collaboration in medicine between the two universities and expressed a positive attitude toward future cooperation. Prof. Zhang stated that Juntendo University is a leading institution for medical education and clinical research in Japan, and he looked forward to enhancing collaboration in areas such as talent training, research cooperation, clinical internships, and the intersection of medicine and engineering.

During the visit, Prof. Zhang also met with Ambassador Wu Jianghao and Minister Shi Yong at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Japan. They exchanged views on promoting relations between higher education institutions in China and Japan under the new circumstances. Additionally, they exchanged views on the 14th China-Japan University Presidents’ Forum, which is scheduled to be held at HUST in 2025.

At the University of Chicago, Prof. Zhang was invited to attend the 2024 Forum of Presidents, a gathering of presidents of leading Chinese and US universities under the Sino-US “10+10” program,. Chinese Vice Minister of Education Chen Jie attended the event and delivered a speech. Focusing on “Promoting Academic Collaboration Between Chinese and US Universities,” Prof. Zhang made a keynote speech and highlighted that educational exchange and cooperation is one of the crucial areas for Sino-US relations. Looking ahead, he expressed the hope to collaborate with American institutions to create a favorable environment for educational exchanges and initiate more projects aimed at building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The presidents of 14 Chinese and 12 US higher education institutions attended the forum. These institutions included Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the CUHK, the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Yale University, Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Prof. Zhang discussed with Provost John Coleman and Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Strategies Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela. During the meeting, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Prof. Zhang expressed his hopes to strengthen cooperation in talent training and educational exchanges, aiming to jointly train young talents with solid knowledge, a global perspective, and cross-cultural competence.

At the “Future-Oriented Engineering Education and Innovation Dialogue” jointly organized by both institutions, Dean Rashid Bashir and Executive Associate Dean Philippe Geubelle of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois engaged in a forward-looking dialogue with representatives from HUST. The discussion focused on the training of interdisciplinary talent in the field of engineering. Participants also shared their experience and explored potential areas for collaboration.

During the visit to the United States, a HUST alumni event was successfully held in Chicago. The event was attended by Wang Baodong, Consul General of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago, Huang Junying, Science Counselor, and Yang Zhiyong, Education Counselor. In his summary remarks, Prof. Zhang appreciated the rapid development of HUST alumni associations across North America and fully acknowledged their positive contributions to connecting overseas alumni and supporting the university’s growth. Alumni representatives from Southern California, Montreal, and other regions expressed their commitment to creating more opportunities for people-to-people exchanges and fostering understanding and friendship between China and the United States.

Written by: Yu Shiyun

Edited by: Yang Kunjie, Chang Wen, Peng Yumeng