Queen’s University Belfast pact to open China college

13 Apr 2012

A new partnership between Queen’s University Belfast and the China Medical University in Shenyang, China, will see some 1,000 Chinese students studying for Queen’s University Belfast degrees in pharmaceutical science in a new college, China Queen’s College.

The students will be trained jointly by staff from Queen’s and the China Medical University.

China Queen’s College, which will also be based in Shenyang, will be announced today at a ceremony at Queen’s. Madam Liu Yandong, State Councillor of the People’s Republic of China, will be in attendance.

The State Councillor, one of China’s most senior government ministers, visited Queen’s to offer her support to China Queen’s College and to witness the signing of collaborative agreements with Shanghai Jiaotong University, Peking University and the Chinese Scholarship Council.

  • Queen’s University Belfast’s links with China include the stg£2.3m Science Bridge project. This project has seen Queen’s technologies used in the construction of the China Bird Nest Olympic Stadium, Hangzhou Bay Sea Crossing Bridge, and thermal power generation plants and power systems across China.

“The year 2012 in China is known as the ‘Year of the Dragon’, a symbol of good fortune and a sign of intense power. Today’s agreements with Shanghai Jiaotong University, Peking University and Chinese Scholarship Council and the announcement of our intention to establish the China Queen’s College are a sign of the powerful relationships that Queen’s University has built with its Chinese partners and a symbol of the good fortune for Northern Ireland through its strengthened links with an internationally recognised super power,” said Queen’s president and vice-chancellor Prof Sir Peter Gregson.

“The creation of a joint college with one of China’s top health sciences universities is based on a real and vibrant partnership. It will provide many opportunities and deliver real outcomes for society in China, in the UK and in Ireland.

“Madam Liu’s visit today confirms her government’s intention to continue to support Queen’s partnerships in China and, we in turn, are committed to developing mutually beneficial partnerships with institutions in China.

“Today is a red letter day for Queen’s University Belfast, for Northern Ireland and for China,” Gregson said.

Minister for Employment and Learning Dr Stephen Farry spoke about the importance of China Queen’s College to Northern Ireland.

“This truly exciting and innovative venture highlights the value of international higher education collaboration and will bring many long-term academic, economic and social benefits to both the institutions and the people they serve,” said Farry.

China is one of the largest markets in the world for international students, Queen’s University Belfast said, with 14m people living in Shenyang.

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com