Beijing, May 18 (People's Daily Online) -- An opening ceremony hosted by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) marked the establishment of CityU's Beijing Liaison Office, followed by an alumni dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the university in Beijing on May 17, 2014.

Located on the campus of Beihang University, the Beijing Liaison Office is the second regional base for CityU's endeavors in the mainland following the establishment of the Shanghai Liaison Office in Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

An agreement on academic cooperation was signed by Professor Way Kuo, University President of CityU, and Professor Huai Jinpeng, President of Beihang University during the event.

The new office is designed to strengthen ties with the governments, universities, science and technology institutions, enterprises, students and alumni on the mainland. It will facilitate academic exchanges, and coordinate mainland student recruitment as well as alumni activities.

Mr Herman Hu Shao-ming, Council Chairman of CityU, who was unable to attend the ceremony, sent a congratulatory message: "Beijing Liaison Office signifies new milestone in University's endeavors to cooperate with universities on the mainland. I hope the office will help CityU and mainland universities draw on each other's strengths to broaden and deepen cooperation for facilitating the social and economic development of Hong Kong and the mainland. "

Professor Kuo introduced CityU's new ranking, cooperation projects with the mainland universities and organizations, and the funding received by the City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute at the ceremony. "CityU has been committed to promoting cooperation with the mainland over the years, and has developed extensive academic exchanges and cooperation with elite universities in the mainland," he said.

He also extended his gratitude to Beihang University for letting CityU set up the office on its campus. "Beijing is counted as a crucial foothold for the development of CityU on the mainland, where greater achievements still await."

Professor Huai congratulated the CityU's 30th anniversary and the establishment of its Beijing Liaison Office. He expressed his joy for further cooperation and development between Hong Kong and mainland universities and believed that the future would be promising.

Around 100 people including Professor Kuo, CityU senior management, alumni living in Beijing and neighboring cities, and representatives from other universities gathered at the dinner titled "CityU 30th Anniversary Alumni Reunion@Beijing" after the ceremony.

Besides the liaison offices in Shanghai and Beijing, the University has developed extensive academic cooperation with 75 universities on the mainland, including the China-CityU Joint Advanced Research Centre in Suzhou, and research institutes in Shenzhen and Chengdu. Among the 118 joint projects are MOUs, exchange programs, joint research student supervision scheme, juridical science programs for mainland judges, joint DBA program, and the building of research facilities.

CityU has experienced dramatic growth in its research endeavors on the mainland. Research teams at the City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute have been awarded RMB 87 million for funding 184 research projects in the past four years. Since 2005, the University has partnered with 10 mainland universities on joint doctorate student supervision schemes, which have nurtured approximately 180 research talents.

CityU has over 3,000 faculty members and a student population of more than 20,000 enrolled in more than 130 programs at the associate degree, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. As one of the eight Hong Kong universities that recruit students from the mainland, CityU accepts about 200 mainland students every year, accounting for 10 percent of the total annual enrollment.