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More University of Toronto faculty and students are poised to collaborate with partners at China’s top universities, as a result of President David Naylor’s recent visit to leading institutions in Shanghai and Beijing.

The president’s week-long visit, which included meetings with key Chinese government officials and leaders of several Chinese universities including Peking, , and Fudan universities, concluded this week with the promise of greater international exchange and collaboration.

 “China is an international powerhouse and global innovator with many excellent scholars and students,” said Naylor. “This visit was an opportunity to work with and learn from our partner institutions, build and strengthen our ties with other post-secondary institutions, and promote the excellent academic and cultural opportunities the University of Toronto has to offer. In addition, we were able to reconnect with our broad alumni and friends of the University of Toronto.”

During the visit, U of T and partner institutions signed agreements to expand two-way traffic between China and Canada through increased student and faculty exchanges and development of joint education and research programs. The study of contemporary China and the China-Canada relationship were identified as key areas for growth and opportunity.

The delegation was encouraged by Mr. Hao Ping, China’s vice-minister of education, a strong supporter of increased partnerships between U of T and leading Chinese institutions. The U of T delegation also met with David Mulroney, ambassador of Canada to China, as well as with the secretary general of the China Scholarship Council. 

As part of the visit, the delegation also visited and met with principals of leading in China to build on the close relationships developed through the Green Path program at the University of Toronto Scarborough. The students from these have excelled academically in their studies at the university.

U of T and China have a rich historical relationship. Students from China have been travelling to Canada to study at the University of Toronto for more than 100 years. Currently, U of T is home to 4,169 visa students from China and has more than 8,000 alumni living in China.

Exciting and innovative joint research with Chinese partner institutions is taking place in areas including neuroscience, nanotechnology, political science, biophysics, hematology, critical care medicine, cancer and diabetes. Academic partners already include Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, the University of Hong Kong and the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences. China is also a leading destination for student exchanges and internships for U of T students.

“These partnerships in engineering, medicine, life sciences and social sciences and environmental studies, bring together top scholars and scientists and students from U of T and China to work together on some of the most pressing global challenges,” said Naylor.