Wenxun Lin, president of Yunnan University; Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada; Alan Wildeman, president of University of Windsor; and Ping Dong, chair of the board of directors, Bohong Group.Wenxun Lin, president of Yunnan University; Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada; Alan Wildeman, president of University of Windsor; and Ping Dong, chair of the board of directors, Bohong Group.

Prime Minister in attendance for UWindsor signing ceremony in Shanghai

University of Windsor President Alan Wildeman signed memorandums of understanding Thursday with Yunnan University and Sichuan Bohong Group. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the signing ceremony in Shanghai, chaired by federal Minister of International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland.

The MOU with Yunnan University is for the creation of a Canada-China research lab on water quality issues in Yunnan’s Plateau Lakes. It was also signed by President Wenxun Lin of Yunnan University. Yunnan University will support the establishment of the International Institute on Plateau Lake Research. The agreement represents a further strengthening of collaborations that began several years ago and that have been spearheaded by the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at UWindsor.  Scientists from the University of Waterloo and Laurentian University are also active in the joint research efforts. In collaboration with Chinese scientists, Canadian expertise stemming from Canada’s Great Lakes environmental conservation experience will be applied to addressing environmental pressures affecting Yunnan’s Plateau Lakes, which are an important reserve of fresh water in China. Yunnan is a province located in southwest China.

The University’s MOU with Sichuan Bohong Group was also signed by Ping Dong, chairman of their Board of Directors. The agreement opens the door for discussions about establishing a joint research program in automotive engineering, and developing management training programs at the University of Windsor. Bohong Group was founded in 1999 and has grown into a multi-faceted company with over 2,800 employees, engaged in manufacturing auto parts and auto sales and services. Three years ago it acquired Wescast Industries, an Ontario company that manufactures engine and other powertrain components.

“These two agreements build on the University of Windsor’s internationally recognized expertise,” said Alan Wildeman, President and Vice-Chancellor. “It was a privilege to be able to sign them during the official visit to China by Prime Minister Trudeau and International Trade Minister Freeland. I also thank the Canadian Consulate General in Chongqing for all of their efforts to facilitate the collaborations being built on with these signings.”

The University of Windsor is a leader in research on automotive engineering and innovation, involving researchers in faculties across campus and a number of important industrial partners. The University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research is known internationally for its study of the complex human and natural stressors that affect large lakes, their watersheds and marine environments, and for the multidisciplinary approaches taken to assess the many environmental consequences that result.