Summary

The Asian Universities Alliance (AUA), with an initial membership of 15 universities, was launched in Beijing with an inaugural meeting in April 2017. The alliance consists of top universities from across Asia, from Japan to the Middle East.

The AUA is aimed at "shaping the future landscape of Asia's higher education and addressing regional and global challenges" with a distinctly Asian perspective, according to Qiu Yong, President of the initiating member Tsinghua University of China. Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong attended the launch event stressed the significance of the alliance in deepening regional cooperation in Asia, saying that it "will make a big difference to the prosperity and the cultural exchange within the region".

The alliance was initiated by Tsinghua University, at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2016 held in March. According to a joint statement from the 15 founding member universities, there are four main areas for cooperation as part of the regional alliance:

• Promote student and faculty mobility within the AUA
• Scientific research collaboration and joint innovation
• Development of high-level dialogues and forum for strategies and policies of Higher Education
• Publication of an annual report on higher education in Asia, to promote the development and influence of Asia's higher education system

The 15 members of the Asian Universities Alliance are:

• Tsinghua University, Mainland China
• Peking University, Mainland China
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
• University of Tokyo, Japan
• Seoul National University, South Korea
• National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
• University of Indonesia, Indonesia
• Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
• University of Malaya, Malaysia
• University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
• University of Yangon, Myanmar
• Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
• United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates
• King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

Analysis by Kevin Prest and Xiaoxiao Liu

The alliance is an example of universities working to build regional links with nearby countries. An interest in pooling research resources and in moving up regional and global rankings appears to be an important motivator for institutions in joining the group.

From the Chinese perspective the formation of this alliance, and the strong political support it has received, is in line with recent government policy such as the “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) strategy which is aimed at building closer relationships with nearby countries. The OBOR strategy includes a strong education component with goals such as increasing international student mobility to China from OBOR nations, as well as increasing research cooperation and expanding the teaching of languages spoken in these countries.

More broadly, the increasing regional links within higher education are an example of trends towards greater regional mobility and cooperation. In some situations nearby countries compete with leading international student destinations, while in others this option is chosen by students who would find it difficult to afford to study in major English-speaking countries.

Sources:

1. http://english.gov.cn/state_council/vice_premiers/2017/04/29/content_281475640713336.htm

2. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/29/c_136245798.htm

3. http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/03-23/8181807.shtml

4. http://edu.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0519/c1053-29286612.html

5. http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/thunews/9648/2017/20170429181737775773863/20170429181737775773863_.html

6. http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/thunews/9648/2017/20170430191209703805906/20170430191209703805906_.html