Liverpool goes to China

The University of Liverpool is to be the first in the UK to open a new University in China.

The Chinese Government has given the go-ahead for the University – in partnership with Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), a Top 10 institution in China – to proceed to the final stages of preparation for the new University that is planned to open in September 2006 at Suzhou, 90km west of Shanghai.

Completely independent with its own degree-awarding powers, the University will be fully developed in five to seven years.

University of Liverpool Vice-Chancellor, Professor Drummond Bone, said: “This is a new model for a British operation in Higher Education in China - a genuine cooperative venture, not an outpost of a British University, but a new University offering its own degrees, with input from the UK on curriculum development and quality assurance. "

Suzhou is an ancient city with more than 2,000 years of history. The new University will be located at Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). SIP is one of Asia’s most successful business parks and is a hub for foreign investors, attracting 2,100 international organisations, including 53 Fortune 500 companies.