By Li Han

Staff Writer of the Tsinghua News Center

On March 1st Tsinghua University officially inaugurated its new Department of International Relations in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The opening ceremony was held that afternoon in the Main Building. The ceremony was attended by Chinese experts in international relations. Professor Li Zhaoxing, China’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Honorary Chair of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech on “The International Situation and China’s Diplomacy”.

Tsinghua Vice President Chen Xu attended the ceremony and extended congratulations to IR on behalf of Tsinghua University.

The Department of International Relations was created in December 2007 out of Tsinghua’s Institute of International Studies which was founded in 1997. The Institute of International Studies brings abundant experience and outstanding academic achievements in teaching and research to the establishment of the new department.

Professor Yan Xuetong, renowned Chinese international relations expert and Director of IIS, becomes Dean of International Relations while renowned Chinese international relations experts Professor Liu Jiangyong and Professor Li Bin become Vice Deans. The new Department of International Relations is inaugurated with seven full professors, three associate professors and two postdoctoral researchers.　　

The Department of International Relations includes five research units: Politics focuses on studies on political theory and comparative politics; International Relations Theory focuses mainly on theories of international relations and methodology; International Political Economy focuses on theories of political economy and economic diplomacy; International Relations History focuses on the history of international relations and Chinese diplomacy; and Area Studies sponsors geographically specific research on China, America, the Asian - Pacific region, Europe and the Third World.

(Photo by Guo Haijun)