Chinese Vice Premier Visits Pitt

PITTSBURGH—Madame Liu Yandong, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, is visiting the University of Pittsburgh on June 19. The visit will highlight education and research collaborations between Pitt and Chinese institutions, including:

• The launch of a Confucius Institute in 2007, which currently supports Chinese language instruction for more than 4,500 students in 70 regional school districts.

• The Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute, established in 2014, which offers undergraduate degrees in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials science and engineering. The first freshman class will begin this fall.

• A biomedical education and research agreement between Pitt and Tsinghua University.

Vice Premier Liu is visiting the University as part of a larger tour of the United States. She made Pittsburgh her first stop because Pittsburgh has a sister city relationship with Wuhan, China, and universities in Pittsburgh—especially the University of Pittsburgh—have been engaged in extensive cooperation with Chinese counterparts through faculty and student exchanges and scientific research.

Vice Premier Liu is visiting the United States through a U.S. government-sponsored program to promote China-U.S. cooperation in a variety of areas, including education, science, and culture. While in the United States, she also will cohost the sixth round of China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

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