Ten recent exchange activities involving top foreign scholars, experts in China
Currently, foreign nationals from 54 countries are eligible for the 72/144-hour transit visa-free policies that are effective at 38 ports in 18 provincial-level regions across China.
As more foreigners are flocking to China, thanks to the facilitating measures, and share their authentic feelings, a true, multidimensional and panoramic view of China will be increasingly seen and understood by the international community, including foreign scholars and experts.
According to China's National Immigration Administration (NIA), the total number of visa-free entries made by eligible foreigners exceeded 8.54 million in the first six months of 2024, accounting for 52 percent of the inbound trips during the period and representing a year-on-year growth of 190.1 percent.
Today, I would like to first recommend an article that has been diligently translated overnight by Wang Zichen. It tells the story of Hu Youping, who lost her life to stop a June 24 knife attack on a Japanese school bus in Suzhou, China. Here are three highlighted excerpts from the article that I have selected for you.
"In fact, she also protected Chinese people living in Japan. Without her sacrifice, the consequences would have been much more severe, affecting not just the country's image, but also the image and safety of Chinese people in Japan," Zhao Guojun remarked. (On June 30, over 200 people attended a memorial at a bookstore in Tokyo, including Chinese and Japanese people. Bookstore owner Zhao Guojun was overwhelmed by the turnout and the emotional responses)
Despite her heroism, Hu faced online abuse, with some extremists calling her a "female traitor" and celebrating the crime in the name of patriotism. On June 28, the People's Daily condemned such hateful behavior, and major internet platforms announced efforts to combat extreme nationalist rhetoric. Some netizens believed Hu's sacrifice was a stand against extreme populism, comparable to saving a bus full of children.
Upon learning that Hu's family did not accept donations, Chinese Rongfeng Holdings Chairman Wang Zheng expressed his hope to donate the money to other citizens who helped during the incident. However, as of publication, Wang still did not know the names of other "brave individuals." "I want to know their names; they also represent the majority of the Chinese people."
The local authorities presented a heroic role model certificate to Hu's family.
Chinese city awards "role model" title to heroine sacrificing life to stop knife attack -- Xinhua
NANJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday held a memorial service to mourn Hu Youping, who lost her life after attempting to stop a knife attack that injured two Japanese nationals, and presented a heroic role model certificate to her family.
The "Righteous and Courageous Role Model" certificate was presented by officials from the city's Party committee and the municipal government at the memorial. The Suzhou New District granted the title of "Righteous and Courageous Personnel" to three residents who risked their lives to help subdue the suspect together.
The memorial was attended by Hu's family, friends, government officials, and representatives of local citizens, the medical team that treated her, as well as foreigners in Suzhou.
In today's piece, we will delve into the interactions of some top foreign scholars and experts who have visited China over the past two months. While this only represents a fraction of the activities, it's important to note that such exchanges between foreign experts and China are ongoing, albeit I believe there is room for even more engagement. These insights are derived from publicly available articles on China's WeChat blogs, which I often liken to China’s version of Substack, or vice versa.
1.Nobel laureate Paul Nurse visits Peking University
诺贝尔奖获得者保罗·纳斯访问北京大学
Paul Nurse, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and director of the Francis Crick Institute in the UK, visited Peking University on June 12.
During his visit, Nurse introduced the Francis Crick Institute, a well-known biomedical research institution in the UK, expressed the expectation of the institute and Peking University to establish a friendly and cooperative relationship, looking forward to cooperation between the two sides in the field of biomedicine, so as to provide solutions to global health challenges.
The press release is from the official website of Peking University.
2. Prof. Vilhelm A. Bohr gives a lecture at Peking University
维尔海姆·玻尔教授受邀作北京大学“大学堂”顶尖学者讲学计划专题讲座
Also on the official website of Peking University, Vilhelm A. Bohr, a renowned neuroscientist, and a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and Professor of the University of Copenhagen, delivered a lecture between June 7 and 8 at the invitation of Peking University.
Focusing on the regulation of mitochondria by DNA damage signaling in neurodegenerative diseases and aging, he outlined the repair pathways of DNA damage and detailed the characteristics of aging and the molecular mechanisms of aging and related diseases caused by the accumulation of DNA damage.
3. Prof. Francis Nimmo gives a lecture at Peking University
Francis Nimmo 教授作北京大学“大学堂”讲座——冰冻天体的内部与演化探测
At the invitation of Peking University, Francis Nimmo, a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, a fellow of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, and a Professor of the UC Santa Cruz, visited Peking University in early June. Nimmo delivered an academic lecture and held a roundtable discussion with teachers and students. He also gave an academic report on June 5, entitled "Probing the interiors and evolution of icy bodies."
For more info about his visit to Peking University, click the link to read more.
4.Chief Executive Officer of AAAS at Tsinghua University
校长李路明会见美国科学促进会首席执行官兼《科学》系列期刊执行出版人苏迪普·帕里克一行
According to the website of Tsinghua University, Sudip S. Parikh, the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals, paid a visit to Tsinghua University on May 24th.
During the visit, Parikh emphasized the AAAS's commitment to offering a platform for exceptional scientists worldwide to showcase their latest academic accomplishments and engage in fruitful exchanges. This serves as a means to bridge the gap between the public and scientists.
Parikh further expressed his hope to enhance and expand collaboration with various Chinese universities and research institutions, Tsinghua University being one of them.
5.President of Griffith University visits the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
周琪会见澳大利亚格里菲斯大学校长并续签两校合作备忘录
Carolyn Evans, head of the Griffith University of Australia visited the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) in its campus in Beijing on June 4 to exchange in-depth views on continuing to strengthen personnel training exchanges and renew the memorandum of cooperation.
She said that the UCAS is one of the most important international partners of Griffith University, and the two sides have made a lot of achievements in joint training of doctoral students and cooperation and exchanges of scientific and educational personnel. She also expressed the hope that the two sides can further expand cooperation areas and yield more cooperation results.
The news release is posted on the website of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
6.The Yale Whiffenpoofs performed at Zhejiang University
音乐架起中美青年友谊之桥——耶鲁大学Whiffenpoofs合唱团浙大行
This is a cultural exchange activity held between Yale and Zhejiang University held in east China's Hangzhou City.
The Whiffenpoofs, an a capella singing group from Yale University, presented a musical feast together with the Wenqin chorus (Zhejiang University) for students and audiences at Zhejiang University on June 10, read the news release posted on the website of Zhejiang University.
7.Hans-Jürgen Butt gives a lecture at Wuhan University
Hans-Jürgen Butt院士谈滑动液滴界面行为与电荷转移
Professor Hans-Jürgen Butt, member of EU Academy of Science, as well as the head of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany, gave a lecture, entitled " Spongtaneous electric charging of sliding drops," at Wuhan University on June 6.
To learn more about Professor Hans-Jürgen Butt's report, you can visit the website of Wuhan University.
8.President of Grenoble INP - UGA visits Sun Yat-sen University
法国格勒诺布尔综合理工学院校长访问中山大学
Professor Vivien QUEMA, president of the Grenoble INP-UGA, led a delegation to visit Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou on June 1, according to the official website of the Chinese university.
The delegation also included Professor Lorena ANGHEL, the vice-chancellor of Grenoble INP- UGA for international affairs, and Professor Jean-Emmanuel BROQUIN, a professor of the school of Physics, Electronics, Materials Sciences and director of the IMEP-LaHC.
9.Fudan holds dialogue on Sino-U.S. relations
美国研究中心举办中美关系高端对话
The Center for American Studies of Fudan University held a seminar on the topic of "Is Win-win between China and the United States Possible?" on May 24, according to the center's official website.
The event included guests such as Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies and director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, as well as Rick Waters, general manager of the China business of Eurasia Group and the U.S. State Department's former top China policy official.
10. Israel's INSS delegation visits Tsinghua
以色列国家安全研究所访问CISS
A delegation from the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) of Israel visited the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) of Tsinghua University on May 29, to discuss the current international situation and issues of respective concern.
According to the official Wechat blog of the CISS, Assaf Orion, director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Israel-China Policy Center of INSS, and its Deputy Director Galia Lavi, as well as reseachers including Tuvia Gering and Avichayil Smoler, were in the visiting delegation.
I recently shared some thoughts on the coming "Third Plenary Session" with Wang Zichen and Liu Yang on the talk show Got China, which could be the ONLY English talk show about this event featuring guests from China so far.
Thank you to Arnaud for editing a segment in which I discuss the regulation and reform of China's financial industry. It's clear that many people are particularly interested in this topic.
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