University of the Fraser Valley officials will tour five Chinese cities in May to meet with partner universities - and perhaps enter additional partnerships.
"We have longstanding relationships with several institutions in China, and this trip is an opportunity for us to strengthen our ties with them and explore more opportunities to cooperate," UFV President Mark Evered said in a Monday news release.
The tour includes a signing ceremony at the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University to formalize a recent agreement that enables Chinese students to complete the last two years of their agriculture degree at UFV.
UFV officials will also tour Chinese agricultural businesses in Beijing, and meet there with a delegation of industry officials and Abbotsford Mayor George Peary.
UFV Agriculture department head Tom Baumann and UFV China liaison officer Betty Wang joined Dr. Evered on the tour.
Baumann, who will also meet the Abbotsford delegation in Shanghai, said the Fraser Valley has a "strong agricultural sector" and there are "many areas of mutual support and learning that we can develop with our Chinese partners."
With the world's most powerful economy, and millions of young people seeking post-secondary education, China is an important market for any university interested in international partnerships, the UFV release states.
Dr. Evered's tour schedule includes a number of universities specializing in computer and chemical technology located in the cities of Dailian, Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou and Chengdu.