Queen’s welcomed a delegation from Tongji University in Shanghai this week to establish the Sino-Canada Network for Environment and Sustainable Development.

With Queen's University and Tongji University as the core founding members, the network will provide a platform on which to establish a number of collaborations in research and education, including the joint development of a biology field course, faculty and graduate student exchange, and collaborative training.

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It will also include joint research involving the Yangtze River basin, the World Wildlife Fund, low-impact urban development and aquatic ecosystem remediation, and monitoring environmental change using remote sensing and GIS (geographic information system) technology.

A signing ceremony for the new network took place Friday, hosted by Jim Lee, Queen’s Vice-Provost (International), and faculty members from the Department of Biology and the School of Environmental Studies. Representatives from Tongji University included Professors Zhao Jianfu and Yin Daqiang.

“In our international strategy, we seek to establish deep relationships with strategic international partners, and this initiative does just that, representing a significant milestone in our already substantive relationships with China,” says Dr. Lee. “With the combined strengths of both institutions, together we can tackle one of the world's most pressing societal issues; environmental sustainability is such an issue which is clearly best addressed through international cooperation and collaboration.”

Ted Hsu, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, attended the ceremony, along with representatives from the Consulate General of China in Toronto, Mr. Fang Jun and Mr. Li Yufei.