Professor Said Irandoust (left), AIT President and Dr. Xiaoyong Chen (second from left) welcome H.E. Prof. Xu Guanhua to AIT
H.E. Professor Xu Guanhua Visits AIT
His Excellency Professor Xu Guanhua, Minister of Science and Technology, People's Republic of China (PRC), recently visited AIT, and met with Professor Said Irandoust, AIT President. The purpose of the visit on July 29 2005 was to strengthen the partnership with AIT and PRC.
AIT conferred the degree of Doctor of Technology (honoris causa) on H.E. Prof. Xu at a ceremony in Beijing on 15 May 2005.
H. E. Prof. Xu expressed his happiness at being able to visit AIT, and indicated that he would do all that he could to promote AIT in China, with the help of the Ministry of Education. He invited President Irandoust to visit China to further discuss ways to explore partnership with AIT, particularly in research and other academic activities. The AIT Deans also had the opportunity to express their interest and request support from the Minister for joint research and collaborations in their respective Schools. After the meeting with the President and Deans in the Administration Building, the delegation was given a tour of facilities in the Remote Sensing and GIS Field of Study, including the Geoinformatics Center.
President Irandoust (7th from left) introduces Deans and AIT staff to H.E. Prof. Xu. Present at the meeting were (from left of the President) Prof. Chongrak Polprasert, Dean SERD and Acting Dean SCE; Prof. Himangshu Paul representing Dr. Nazrul Islam, Acting Dean SOM; Dr. Tess del Rosario, Acting Dean AIT Extension; Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, Director of Promotions; Dr. Xiaoyong Chen, SAT and Dr. Yang Yi, SERD
The delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology, People's Republic of China included (from left) Mr. Li Xiong, Secretary for the Minister; Mr. Jin Xiaoming, Director General of Department of International Cooperation; Mr. Xing Jijun, Director of the Division of Asia & Africa; and Mr. Wang Xiao, Official of the Division of Asia & Africa. The delegation was accompanied by Mr. Mao Guoqing, First Secretary and Mr. Chen Qi, Third Secretary of the Embassy of P R China
H.E. Prof. Xu has played a key role in advancing relations between AIT and China, first in his capacity as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, through provision of experts to the Institute within the framework of the MoU between AIT and the State Science and Technology Commission, and later in his capacity as Vice Minister of the Commission in 1995, which subsequently became the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1998, and during his current appointment as the Minister of Science and Technology since 2001.
AIT President Irandoust shows a model of the AIT campus to H. E. Prof. Xu. Seen too were Prof. Himangshu Paul (left), SOM and Dr. Xiaoyong Chen, SAT
Under the leadership of Prof. Xu, the Ministry of Science and Technology extended the partnership between China and AIT to various science and technology institutions in China and in the region. As Minister of Science and Technology since April 2001, Prof. Xu has been promoting China's scientific and technological development and improving its international competitiveness by increasing R&D; input, accelerating the building of the national innovation system and formulating a national strategy for the development of science and technology.
AIT President Irandoust gives a lapel pin with the flags of AIT and the People's Repulbic of China to H. E. Prof. Xu, Minister as a token of AIT's friendship with China<p