JHU SAIS and Nanjing University to Honor Henry Kissinger and Qian Qichen at 20th Anniversary Celebration for Hopkins-Nanjing Center
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and former Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen will give the keynote addresses at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (HNC) on Saturday, June 23 in Nanjing, China, at 4 p.m. local time (4 a.m. EST).
The Hopkins-Nanjing Center is operated jointly by the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Nanjing University. The center has more than 1,600 alumni, many of whom have gone on to play significant roles in U.S.-China relations.
"Twenty years ago, it would have been unimaginable for the Johns Hopkins leadership to envision the China that we will be visiting in June," said SAIS Dean Jessica P. Einhorn. "For Nanjing University and ourselves, this is a celebration rich with meaning and excitement."
At the anniversary celebration and reunion, the two universities also will present Kissinger and Qian the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cultural Understanding Between the United States of America and the People*s Republic of China. Committed to continuing lively bilateral discourse, the HNC established the award to honor individuals who have positively influenced Sino-U.S. relations.
Kissinger is widely credited with opening diplomatic relations between the United States and China during his secret trip to Beijing in 1971, paving the way for President Richard Nixon's official visit the following year. For Kissinger, the HNC event coincides with the 35th anniversary of that historic visit and the issuance of the Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People*s Republic of China, also known as the Shanghai Communiqué. Recipient of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, he served as assistant to the president for National Security Affairs from 1969 to 1975 and secretary of State from 1973 to 1977.
Qian has been involved with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China for the past 30 years. He has served as foreign minister several times since 1988 and last served as vice premier of the State Council from 1998 to 2003. He made significant contributions to developing China*s relationships with foreign countries, particularly the former Soviet Union and the United States, over the course of his long diplomatic service.
Established in September 1986 as one of the very first joint academic ventures between China and the United States, the HNC annually gives approximately 100 students from the United States, China and other countries the opportunity to live together and pursue graduate studies. American and other international students focus on contemporary China in courses taught by Chinese professors in Chinese, while Chinese students study the United States and the international system in English with U.S. professors. The center*s library is the only uncensored, open stacks library in China and features more than 80,000 volumes, half in English and half in Chinese.
Other celebration activities on Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23 include the graduation ceremony of the class of '07; student-led tours and the dedication of the center*s new 11-story building; alumni dinners; a concert; panel discussions with center alumni and experts on U.S.-China relations; and a formal dinner and gala ball.
Most of the events will be held at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, located at Shanghai Road and Beijing Xi Road, in Nanjing. The June 23 awards ceremony for Kissinger and Qian will take place at Nanjing University's Northern Gulou Campus in the Ceremonial Hall.
SAIS also plans to post the video of the keynote addresses on the school's Web site at www.sais-jhu.edu shortly after the event takes place.
SAIS is one of the country*s leading graduate schools devoted to the study of international relations. Located along Embassy Row in Washington's Dupont Circle area, the school enrolls more than 450 full-time graduate students and mid-career professionals and has trained more than 13,000 alumni in all aspects of international affairs.
Members of the media who plan to cover the anniversary events in Nanjing must register with Felisa Neuringer Klubes at the SAIS Public Affairs Office at 202.663.5626 or[email protected].