By Li Han

Staff Writer of the Tsinghua News Center

Tsinghua University President Gu Binglin attended the first ASEM Rectors’ Conference held at the Free University, Berlin in Germany from October 27 to 29. More than 100 representatives from universities in such countries as the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia participated in the conference.

Tsinghua President Gu Binglin spoke on “An Asian Perspective on Higher Education Cooperation between Asia and Europe” at the conference whose theme is “Between Tradition and Reform: Universities in Asia and Europe at the Crossroads”.

President Gu’s speech focused on three issues: the challenges and opportunities for global higher education; the foundation of Asia-Europe cooperation in higher education; and Tsinghua’s efforts in promoting cooperation between Asian and European universities.

President Gu noted how growth in the knowledge-driven economy globally widens the regional and national gap and makes higher education even more crucial. This growth model ensures the quality of the workforce for the future and creates opportunities for cutting-edge research. He cited globalization as another driver of change in higher education. President Gu remarked on how research universities are at the frontier of global competition and also international cooperation. Learning now has no borders, he argued, and the openness of scientific research makes it a global activity. The flow of students is a key factor, President Gu concluded, in globalization and internationalization. He suggested that universities should continue strategic dialogues on various levels, encourage student mobility and joint education programs, and develop joint research projects on such major issues as disaster prediction, alleviation and reconstruction, and sustainable environmental development.