Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, has successfully concluded a significant visit to China in March 2026, reinforcing the University’s deep-rooted connections with leading Chinese institutional partners, alumni, donors in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

The visit commenced in Beijing on Monday, 16 March, where Professor Ivison met with the British Ambassador to China, Peter Wilson CMG. The delegation then proceeded to Peking University and Tsinghua University for a series of high-level strategic meetings.

Moving to Shanghai, Professor Ivison visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University on Tuesday, 17 March and Fudan University on Wednesday, 18 March. At Fudan, he met with President Jin Li and engaged with students during a lecture at the Fudan Art Museum.

A major highlight of the visit was the inaugural University of Manchester graduation celebration held in Shanghai. Nearly 1,000 participants, including over 300 graduates  from the University and their family and friends, celebrated this significant milestone, underscoring the University's long-term commitment to education excellence and its growing global community.

Throughout the Beijing and Shanghai legs of the trip, President Ivison hosted launch events for the University's 'Challenge Accepted' global volunteering and fundraising campaign, engaging with alumni, donors, partners, and supporters. In his address, Professor Ivison expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Sherry Fu and her team at the China Centre. He noted that the University of Manchester China Centre, as a crucial hub for the University in China, has not only built a solid communication bridge between China and the University, providing alumni with a platform for networking and lifelong learning, but has also become a model for Sino-British educational and cultural exchange and cooperation. He emphasised that deepening international partnerships is a cornerstone of the University's future strategy. "The China Centre has been instrumental in building our community here," he said, "and it will continue to play a key role in our ambitions for the decade ahead."

Before departing for Hong Kong on Thursday, 19 March, the delegation visited Concord Bilingual School in Shanghai, where Duncan delivered in inspring talk to the students, encouraging the next generation of global learners.

This visit marks a defining moment for The University of Manchester, coinciding with the launch of its ambitious Manchester 2035 strategy and its first major global fundraising and volunteering campaign, ‘Challenge Accepted’. The campaign aims to mobilise its community of over half a million alumni, supporters, and partners to raise £400 million. These funds will drive transformative change across four key themes: Research with Purpose, Innovation and Enterprise, Culture and Community, and Student Inclusion and Success.

"We are building on 200 years of world-changing discoveries – from splitting the atom to isolating graphene – and we are committed to turning knowledge into impact for the public good," said Professor Ivison. "The challenges of today's world demand more. 'Challenge Accepted' is our call to action, uniting our brilliant community to deliver real-world change both locally in Manchester and globally. Our partnerships in China are integral to this mission."

The University’s visit to China reinforces its status as a leading 21st-century civic university, committed to creating knowledge for the public good and fostering international collaboration to address global challenges.