The University of Newcastle, Australia

A University of Newcastle delegation to China has been given the very rare honour of a reception in The Great Hall of the People on Sunday night.

The dinner was jointly hosted by Mr Zhang Shijie, Chairman of the JJL Group - the largest international education agency in Beijing and a long term partner of the University - and Mr Lui Xiaochen, Vice-Chairman of the Beijing People's Congress, and attended by 18 senior officials from Australian and Chinese government departments and private industry.

Leading the delegation, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Global Relations) Professor Kevin McConkey, said the dinner was in recognition of the distinctive educational exchange between the University of Newcastle and China.

"This honour is an outstanding recognition of what we have achieved, and a signal of what we will achieve in the future."

At the dinner the Vice-Chairman spoke very highly of the University's partnership with JJL and said the relationship exemplified the success of international educational cooperation between Australia and China.

The University of Newcastle delegation will be in China for 10 days and will visit partner universities, government departments and alumni groups in Shanghai, Beijing, Harbin and Wuhan.