Â鶹ÊÓƵ of Queensland Academic Board President met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 3 June.
Professor Basford was representing the (ATSE) at the annual meeting of the .
The meeting was held in conjunction with the International Conference on Engineering Science and Technology.
Professor Basford said she was impressed by the President’s keynote address which focused on China’s need for international cooperation in engineering and innovation.
“President Xi clearly articulated the very strong role that engineering must take in building China's future,” she said.
“The visionary plans that China has for its advancement mean that engineering and technology developments will be key drivers for the future progress and prosperity of China.”
Professor Basford said ATSE would continue to develop and promote its collaboration with China to address critical issues facing both countries.
“ATSE highly values its relationship with the Chinese Academy of Engineering,” she said.
Both academies have demonstrated a strong spirit of international collaboration through various joint workshops and exchanges.”
Â鶹ÊÓƵ has more than 30 ATSE Fellows, including Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter H?j and Provost Professor Max Lu.
Several Â鶹ÊÓƵ researchers have received the prestigious ATSE Clunies Ross Award. They include Professor Ian Frazer, Professor Stuart Crozier and Professor Gideon Chitombo.
Professor Basford said her attendance at the meeting highlighted the importance of Australia’s and Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s relationship with China.
Education is one of Australia’s major export services to China, its largest export market;
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s largest cohort of international students comes from China; and the greatest number of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s international partnerships are with Chinese institutions.
These partnerships cover a range of activities from student exchange to research collaboration – including joint research laboratories – with various institutions, including Baosteel, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Fudan University.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s at the St Lucia campus promotes Chinese language and culture and is the first in Australia with a focus on building collaborative relationships with China in the fields of science, engineering and technology.
President Xi will visit Brisbane in November this year for the G20 Leaders Summit.
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Media: Professor Kaye Basford, +61 7 3365 1320, k.e.basford@uq.edu.au or Dr Jessica Gallagher, Â鶹ÊÓƵ International, +61 7 3346 7869, j.gallagher@uq.edu.au.
