Peking University, Oct 19. 2019: The ceremony of appointing Masashi Haneda as guest professor of Peking University was held on Oct.15. Peking University President Hao Ping issued the letter of appointment for Professor Masashi Haneda and extended his congratulations. Peking University Vice Present Wang Bo and the former Chinese ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua attended the ceremony.

Wang Bo expressed his welcome to Masashi Haneda’s visiting. He said that Peking University and the University of Tokyo had established close and friendly intercollegiate relationships, in which Masashi Haneda had contributed a lot. He expected Masashi Haneda to bring his specialty in the studies of Islam History, Maritime Asia History, and World History into full play and offer guidance to Peking University’s ongoing studies on Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road.

Masashi Haneda sincerely appreciated this appointment. He said that he would manage to master Chinese and learn about Chinese traditional culture when visiting Peking University, and hoped that one day he would be able to fully convey his knowledge to students in idiomatic Chinese. Meanwhile, he also mentioned the key project between Peking University and the University of Tokyo that officially started in July this year - the East Asia Studies Joint Project. He believed this project would not only strengthen bilateral friendship but also raised the cooperation in humanities and social sciences to new heights.

Cheng Yonghua expressed heartfelt thanks to Masashi Haneda for his vigorous support when Cheng himself served as ambassador to Japan. He stressed the close relationship between Peking University and Japanese education, for Peking University had received Japanese prominent politicians for several times and hosted some meaningful educational activities like the Sino-Japanese Youth Exchange held in both 2017 and 2018. He also thanked Masashi Haneda for taking care of Chinese overseas students when Sino-Japanese relations were challenged. He believed the two universities would deepen academic cooperation and make greater contributions to the growth of Sino-Japanese relations.

 
The group photo

Background linking: 

Masashi Haneda, professor and executive vice president of the University of Tokyo, is a famous Japanese expert within the domains of Islam History, Maritime Asia History, and World History. He wrote several award-winning works and received Shiju hosho (medal of honor with purple ribbon) in 2017.

The background information of Masashi Haneda

Peking University and the University of Tokyo officially signed the intercollegiate exchange agreement in March, 1985. Two universities have formed intimate connections of exchange students (5 students per school year) as well as academic communication. Also, they were both engaged in several international forums and organizations like International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), BESTTOHA, and so on. In 2015, they signed the strategic collaboration agreement and announced the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership.

Written by: Liu Zijing
Edited by: Wei Yunqi
Source: PKU News (Chinese)