On the afternoon of November 20th, 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament of India Tarun Vijay visited Peking University (PKU). He was accompanied by Alok A·Dimri, Counselor of Indian Embassy in China. Zhu Shanlu, Chairman of PKU Council, with the company of Li Yansong, PKU Vice President, met the guests at Linhuxuan. A fruitful discussion was launched on the topic of enhancing relations between China and India through university interactions and cultural understanding.
Chairman Zhu extended a warm welcome to the guests. He noted that he had just received the former president of India, Abdul Kalam not long ago, and Kalam’s visit had laid a solid foundation for long-term cooperation between the two nations. He hoped that both China and India, which share many similarities including long history, would be able to build a stronger relationship in the future.
Tarun Vijay expressed his gratitude for the reception and noted that he was in full agreement with Zhu’s opinions. He stated that the interaction between China and India could date back to more than a thousand years ago. Indian people have always looked upon China with much respect and affection. PKU, as a preeminent university in China, also naturally drew attention and won the respect of Indian people. He affirmed that it was of great importance to boost cooperation between universities from India and China in the areas of technology, economy, law, medicine.
During the meeting, Zhu and Vijay reached a consensus on impelling staff exchange and talent cultivation at university level. Universities should make joint efforts and pool their wisdom and various resources to help provide answers to common social problems that mankind face. United universities were epitomes of united cultures and civilizations, therefore such collaboration would surely be highly significant in the long run.
At the end of the meeting, Vijay presented one of his favorite books to Chairman Zhu, in the hope that it would be translated to Chinese and gain popularity among Chinese people. In return, Zhu gave Vijay the book The History of Chinese Civilization as a gift. Zhu expressed his willingness to facilitate translation projects to boost cultural exchanges between the two nations.
Written by Xin Yuan
Edited by Chia Wai Kian
