The foreign diplomacy of China's universities
Universities in China are often visited by overseas leaders and the university is always meticulously selected ahead of time, so how much does a national leader's choice of university to visit reflect their political stance?
The Chinese Universities Alumni Association, which issues a ranking of universities each year, recently published a report on official visits by foreign heads of state to Chinese universities. From the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, 232 foreign leaders have visited 52 Chinese universities. The most common choice for foreign heads of state is Peking University, which has seen visits from 54 foreign leaders. The second most popular was Tsinghua University, with visits from 35 foreign heads of state, and third was China Foreign Affairs University with 22 visits.
The US seems to favor visits to Tsinghua University, as both former president Richard Nixon and former president George W Bush have made speeches there. This has a lot to do with the US role in the founding of the school. In 1900, after the Eight Nation Alliance comprising forces from Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy intervened to put down the Boxer Rebellion in China, the Qing government compensated them with 22.5 million kilograms of silver. Later the US decided to use this compensation to provide grants for Chinese students to study in the US. The US set up a preparatory school to prepare the students for their studies abroad called Tsinghua College, which later became Tsinghua University.
Russian leaders, on the other hand, prefer to visit Peking University. In 2002, the same year that Bush visited Tsinghua, Putin made a speech at Peking University. Former Russian president and incumbent prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has also visited the school. Peking University was one of the first Chinese universities to adopt Marxist theory. During the Second World War, when it united with other universities to form National Southwestern Associated University, it was influenced greatly by political theory from the Soviet Union, which is why Russian leaders favor Peking University.
German leaders prefer to visit Shanghai's Tongji University, because of the school's links to Germany. In 1893 a German doctor founded a German clinic in Shanghai and this later became Tongji Medical College in 1908. The Tongji of the university's title, is a reference to the Chinese idiom "tongzhougongji," meaning "to cross a river in the same boat," indicating that the German and Chinese people were working towards common goals. Former German chancellors including Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schroder as well as current chancellor Angela Merkel have all visited the school.
French leaders often visit Wuhan University in central China's Hubei province. In 1980, Chinese leaders are said to have shown visiting French leaders Wuhan University, which was relatively undamaged by the Cultural Revolution. Wuhan University thereafter served as a springboard for French exchange initiatives and France established a consulate and a car production line in Wuhan. France has concentrated a third of its investment in China in Hubei and the majority of Chinese exchange students who study in France graduate from Wuhan University.
Universities in China are often visited by overseas leaders and the university is always meticulously selected ahead of time, so how much does a national leader's choice of university to visit reflect their political stance?
The Chinese Universities Alumni Association, which issues a ranking of universities each year, recently published a report on official visits by foreign heads of state to Chinese universities. From the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, 232 foreign leaders have visited 52 Chinese universities. The most common choice for foreign heads of state is Peking University, which has seen visits from 54 foreign leaders. The second most popular was Tsinghua University, with visits from 35 foreign heads of state, and third was China Foreign Affairs University with 22 visits.
The US seems to favor visits to Tsinghua University, as both former president Richard Nixon and former president George W Bush have made speeches there. This has a lot to do with the US role in the founding of the school. In 1900, after the Eight Nation Alliance comprising forces from Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy intervened to put down the Boxer Rebellion in China, the Qing government compensated them with 22.5 million kilograms of silver. Later the US decided to use this compensation to provide grants for Chinese students to study in the US. The US set up a preparatory school to prepare the students for their studies abroad called Tsinghua College, which later became Tsinghua University.
Russian leaders, on the other hand, prefer to visit Peking University. In 2002, the same year that Bush visited Tsinghua, Putin made a speech at Peking University. Former Russian president and incumbent prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has also visited the school. Peking University was one of the first Chinese universities to adopt Marxist theory. During the Second World War, when it united with other universities to form National Southwestern Associated University, it was influenced greatly by political theory from the Soviet Union, which is why Russian leaders favor Peking University.
German leaders prefer to visit Shanghai's Tongji University, because of the school's links to Germany. In 1893 a German doctor founded a German clinic in Shanghai and this later became Tongji Medical College in 1908. The Tongji of the university's title, is a reference to the Chinese idiom "tongzhougongji," meaning "to cross a river in the same boat," indicating that the German and Chinese people were working towards common goals. Former German chancellors including Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schroder as well as current chancellor Angela Merkel have all visited the school.
French leaders often visit Wuhan University in central China's Hubei province. In 1980, Chinese leaders are said to have shown visiting French leaders Wuhan University, which was relatively undamaged by the Cultural Revolution. Wuhan University thereafter served as a springboard for French exchange initiatives and France established a consulate and a car production line in Wuhan. France has concentrated a third of its investment in China in Hubei and the majority of Chinese exchange students who study in France graduate from Wuhan University.
Source - wantchinatimes
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| Then US president George W Bush gives a speech at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Feb. 22, 2002. Behind him is Tsinghua's motto, "Self-Discipline and Social Commitment." (Photo/Xinhua) |
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| President of Russia at Peking University |
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| German President Koehler Visited Tongji University for Centennial Celebration |
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| Britain PM, David Cameron at Shanghai Jiaotong University |
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| French PM visits Wuhan University |
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| South Korea's President Park Geun-hye delivers an address at Tsinghua University |
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President of Czech Republic at Renmin University  |
