Tsinghua Alumnus Xie Zhenhua Awarded Lui Che Woo Prize 2017

On October 3rd, the second Lui Che Woo Prize—Prize for World Civilization was presented at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC), and the President of Tsinghua University Qiu Yong attended the ceremony. Also attending the ceremony were more than 1,000 guests, including Dr. Lui Che Woo, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Governors cum Prize Council, The Hon. Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of  China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, The Hon. Tung Chee-hwa, Prize Council member and Vice Chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, together with other related guests and media reporters.

The first award presented in the ceremony was in the Sustainability category, whose aim is to reward the accomplishments of any person or group that works toward the maintenance of ecological balance, the promotion of sustainable use of natural resources, and for the benefit of posterity. This year the prize was awarded to Mr. Xie Zhenhua, a Tsinghua alumnus and Vice Chairman of the Committee of Population, Resources and Environment of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, commending his outstanding contribution to the “prevention of climate change”. Mr. Xie had engaged actively in the promotion of measures dealing with climate change both domestically and internationally, and facilitated the final conclusion of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

During the ceremony, Dr. Lui, Mrs. Carrie Lam, and Prof. Sir Colin Lucas, Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Oxford and member of the Prize Recommendation Committee, delivered their speeches and highly praised Mr. Xie’s accomplishments in the field of environmental protection.

In his speech, Dr. Lui said the recipient’s efforts displayed a “heart full of gratitude” to nature, setting an example for the other developing economies. Mrs. Carrie Lam called Mr. Xie a key figure in the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, and one who had played an irreplaceable role in the negotiation process.

For ten consecutive years since 2007, Mr. Xie has been the head of the Chinese delegation to UN Climate Conferences, having thus brought about a series of significant results in the multilateral negotiations. To facilitate the final signing of the agreement, Mr. Xie made constructive proposals that took into consideration the respective interests of the participating countries. His courage, sense of responsibility, and remarkable achievements have won him general acclaim and made him a worthy recipient of the prize.

In his own speech, Mr. Xie said he was honored to receive the prize, which recognized their collective efforts in environmental protection and sustainability. He also expressed his sincere thanks for the trust of the country and all the attention and support from the wider public. Moreover, Mr. Xie donated the award money to his alma mater Tsinghua University, to further facilitate related projects dealing with climate change and other non-profit social works benefitting posterity.

After the ceremony, President Qiu had a meeting with Mr. Xie. The president congratulated him, thanked him for his donation and invited him back to the university to share his joy.

(By Zhu Lvhe)