Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott MP has today (February 23) opened the University of Nottingham's new campus – more than 5,000 miles away in Ningbo, south of Shanghai.

Nottingham is the first western university to be granted permission under new laws to establish a campus inside China.

The £27m campus – built in just a year - is modelled on the original in Nottingham, complete with lake, bell tower and a replica of the Trent Building.

Mr Prescott met staff and students, who are taught UK-accredited degree courses in the English language, quality-assured in Britain.

He said: “The University of Nottingham is seizing a huge opportunity to be at the heart of China’s future growth. It’s a great idea with a great future.”

Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council Gordon Mitchell, who attended the opening ceremony, said: “The establishment of the campus in Ningbo and the growing relationship between the two cities is really putting Nottingham on the map in this prosperous city of six million people which is just a few hours by car from Shanghai.”

Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, Sir Colin Campbell – who is the man behind the vision of a Nottingham University campus in China - said: “We are making sure that new research institutes concentrate on areas like energy, the environment and finance, which are critical to China's sustainable development. We believe in the internationalisation of education. The China campus not only provides the opportunity for Chinese students to receive western education. It also provides the chance for British students to travel to, and learn more about, China.”

The Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, leading Chinese academic Professor Yang Fujia, who described the opening as an historic event, said: “Education can and will play a unique role in making China's development sustainable and in managing China's globalisation. The Ningbo campus is a vehicle for us to introduce the best practices of a leading international university.”

He added that the significance of the venture is high in terms of worldwide trade, cultural exchange and understanding.

“In this age of globalization, friction between cultures is not inevitable. Education is the key,” he said. “It can facilitate understanding, cooperation and partnerships. By providing opportunities for different peoples to learn about each other, we aim to produce individuals who understand and are adaptable to both Chinese and British cultures. We believe that this will help to promote mutual understanding and mutual trust. It is our ideal and ambition that the Ningbo campus serves as a bridge connecting China to the rest of the world. This will be our contribution to promoting a more peaceful and harmonious world."

For more information visit http://www.nottingham.edu.cn/classaction/progtech/newsdee.asp