On May 18, a meeting with a delegation from Peking University took place in the main building of Irkutsk State University. The representatives from ISU were Vice-Rector for Education Alexey Vokin and Head of the International Relations Department Yulia Elokhina, as well as International Relations Department specialist Tatyana Kuznetsova and graduate students Zhou Kunkun and Zhang Li from the Institute of Philology, Foreign Languages and Media Communications.

Jin Zhijun, the Director of the Institute of Energy at Peking University, stated that the purpose of the visit was to deepen mutual understanding between ISU and Peking University and to explore opportunities for cooperation in the field of Geology. He mentioned that an agreement on the establishment of a Russian-Chinese Center for Fundamental Research was signed in April of last year with the participation of the Chinese delegation and representatives from Moscow State University.

Jin Zhijun outlined the main tasks for collaboration between the universities:

• Studying the interaction of the biosphere in northern and northeastern China and the Far East,
• Conducting joint expeditions to research the Earth’s system in the mid-latitudes of East Asia,
• Studying the climate change in the Northern Hemisphere,
• Developing joint programs for training bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students from Russia and China in Geology,
• Creating a Sino-Russian field base for geological internship and expeditions for students and postgraduates,
• Holding an annual scientific conference for the Sino-Russian sector of geological research.

Alexey Vokin:

Irkutsk State University has extensive experience in collaborating with Chinese universities, especially in the field of Physical Sciences. In the future, there is potential for interaction between ISU and Peking University in organizing practical events and exchanges of lecturers and students.

Yulia Elokhina outlined the areas of collaboration:

• Academic exchange programs,
• Conducting joint scientific research and studies,
• Organizing international scientific events.

The delegation from Peking University presented three reports by staff members from the School of Earth and Space Sciences: Director Zhang Lifei, Deputy Director Shen Bing, and Professor Liu Runqiao. The reports detailed the history and structure of Peking University and its departments, the academic programs, collaboration with international companies, as well as the achievements of the University. Peking University representatives expressed hope for further joint activities between the universities.