The Hopkins-Nanjing Center Celebrates 30 Years of Leadership in Sino-Global Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 9, 2016
Washington and Nanjing—The Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (HNC) recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a weekend of events in Nanjing, China, marking the longest-running academic joint venture in modern China between an American and Chinese university. More than 600 students, alumni, and supporters attended the anniversary celebration to honor the important role the HNC plays in managing Sino-U.S and Sino-global relations in the public and private sectors around the world.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright '63 shared her perspectives on the U.S-China relationship as the American keynote speaker at a special convocation session. Commenting on the role of academic and cultural exploration in strengthening the U.S.-China ties, Secretary Albright said the HNC has thrived because "at its core is a simple and vital mission: to help Americans learn about the real China and Chinese to learn about the real United States. Instead of empty spaces on a flat map, the United States and China become real places with intriguing people living fascinating lives."
Secretary Albright also met with students, alumni, and supporters at a private tea ceremony and shared stories and examples of teachable moments from her career in public service during a discussion moderated by Johns Hopkins SAIS Dean Vali Nasr.
Chen Deming '88, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and former Minister of Commerce for the People's Republic of China, gave the convocation's Chinese keynote address, sharing favorite memories of his time as an HNC student and how his studies prepared him to lead the trade policies of the world's second largest economy. Chen cited recent positive developments in U.S.-China relations as constructive progress, including the Joint Statement on Climate Change announced by President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama prior to the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, and the upcoming inclusion of China's currency in the special drawing rights of the International Monetary Fund.
In recognition of their leadership in international relations and support for the HNC, Secretary Albright and Minister Chen were presented with The Hopkins-Nanjing Center Award for Distinguished Contributions to Global Understanding.
At the HNC commencement ceremony, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels congratulated the Class of 2016 on joining the ranks of more than 2,800 HNC alumni working in China and across the globe. Daniels commended the group for studying the issues that divide nations, and the mutual interests that can bring them together. He advised graduates to "carry the spirit of this center forward as you serve as standard-bearers of international cooperation and partnership."
Throughout the anniversary events in Nanjing, speakers highlighted the U.S-China relationship as the most important diplomatic tie of the 21st century. Secretary Albright noted that solving today's global challenges will require the cooperation of China and the U.S., adding that "no one was better than Confucius at defining a win-win proposition, and that is precisely the kind of partnership that the United States and China should continue building…In that endeavor, few institutions have been and will be as important as the HNC."
Additional guests of honor for the 30th anniversary included JHU Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Aronson; Lisa Heller, minister of public affairs, U.S. Embassy, Beijing; Nanjing University President Chen Jun; and Luo Zhijun, party secretary of Jiangsu Province.
The HNC anniversary will be celebrated throughout 2016 with additional events planned this fall in the Washington, DC area and the center's first-ever HNC Giving Week in December to promote alumni participation in giving. Read more about the history of the HNC.
About the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies
Established in 1986, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, located in Nanjing, China, is a graduate educational partnership between The Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University, providing approximately 200 students from the United States, China, and other countries the unique opportunity to live and study international relations together. American and international students take the majority of their classes in Mandarin, while Chinese students study mostly in English. In addition, the HNC has the first and among the only uncensored libraries in China, featuring more than 120,000 volumes in English and Chinese, 400 periodicals and the electronic assets of both The Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University. The HNC and its graduates have been at the forefront of efforts to build constructive relations between the U.S. and China for 30 years.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
Johns Hopkins SAIS is one of the world’s leading graduate schools devoted to the study of international relations. The Washington, DC campus is located on Massachusetts Avenue in the city’s Dupont Circle neighborhood and enrolls approximately 640 full-time graduate students and mid-career professionals. Johns Hopkins SAIS has trained more than 18,000 alumni in all aspects of international affairs. The school also has campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China.
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