The inaugural ceremony of the Chinese University Alumni Alliance (CUAA), an organization that functions as a platform for exchanges between Chinese alumni of North America universities and Chinese universities, took place on Saturday at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City.

Among the dignitaries present were Sun Guoxiang, China's consul general in New York, US Congresswoman Grace Meng, New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim of Queens, and representatives from more than 40 Chinese universities. More than 300 guests attended the ceremony.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent a congratulatory letter that was read at the gathering:

"As an international capital of business and commerce, New York City is the perfect place to discuss the value of global perspectives in the 21st century. With the vital contributions that Chinese professionals and businesses make to our economic vitality, we encourage academic commitments to giving students the skills to navigate today's global economy, and we look forward to fostering dialogues that can lead to even more beneficial partnerships between the US and China in the years ahead."

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General also conveyed his best wishes to the CUAA.

Sun said it was a great honor to witness the establishment of such a wonderful platform for Chinese academics.

"Every Chinese overseas student shares a common identity," Sun said. "We are the alumni from Chinese universities. I hope CUAA can bring together overseas Chinese students to

the benefit of China-US relations."

Representative Meng said she hopes CUAA would unite more overseas Chinese, and contribute to China-US relations at all levels of the international academic community.

Huang Yacun, president of CUAA's executive committee, introduced the alliance to the guests. She said CUAA united several different Chinese alumni associations into a whole, and hopes it will better serve Chinese students who study overseas.

Huang also noted that CUAA welcomes alumni from every university and called on students and alumni that did not find their school on the list to contact the alliance and look into joining.

CUAA is a US-registered non-profit organization headquartered in New York City that serves as a bridge for mutual exchange, understanding and cooperation between Chinese universities and the US.

CUAA also aims to promote US-China people-to-people exchanges and friendship. Its members include alumni associations of more than 30 Chinese universities, including universities of Peking, Tsinghua, and Shanghai Finance and Economics.

haidanhu12@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 06/10/2013 page2)