On May 10th, a signing ceremony was held at Sichuan University to mark the beginning of a new cooperative relationship between SCU and Sri Lanka’s University of Peradaniya. Before the ceremony, SCU President Li Yanrong met with Upul B. Dissanayake, president of the University of Peradaniya. SCU Vice President Yan Shijing, as well as representative faculty and staff of the Social Sciences Department, the International Office, the College of History, the Law School, and the School of International Studies, also joined the meeting.
President Li Yanrong welcomed President Dissanayake and offered his best wishes for the signing of the cooperation agreement. Li introduced the general state of SCU and reviewed the positive working relationship between the two universities up to now. SCU is currently in the process of accelerating its world-class university construction, and internationalization on all fronts is an important component of its strategy. The University of Peradaniya is undoubtedly among Sri Lanka’s best universities; like SCU, it is also a leading comprehensive university. President Li is confident that the signing of the agreement will contribute to a stronger partnership between the two schools in the areas of student and faculty exchanges and collaborative scientific research. The agreement will also strengthen existing educational ties between China and Sri Lanka, contributing to the important friendship between the two countries.
The forerunner of the University of Peradaniya was the University of Ceylon, which was founded in 1942. It is located in the central part of Sri Lanka. President Upul B. Dissanayake expressed his thanks for the warm welcome at Sichuan University before introducing the general state of affairs at Peradaniya. He looks forward to the rich opportunities for development the agreement between SCU and his university will bring about and is confident that the cooperative partnership between the two schools is set to yield promising results.
Following the exchanges, President Li and President Upul B. Dissanayake each signed the “SCU- University of Peradaniya Cooperative Agreement” on behalf of his university, promising to further promote Chinese-Sri Lankan cultural relations and academic and educational exchanges between the two countries. The agreement stipulates that the two schools will develop joint undergraduate and graduate education programs and engage in collaborative scholarly projects, such as the joint Indian Ocean Region Studies Institute.
