Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
May 13, 2010--Honorary Professor
Dr. Gu Binglin, President
Today we are overjoyed at the opportunity to hold this splendid ceremony and to present Soka Gakkai Honorary President Daisaku Ikeda with an honorary professorship from Tsinghua University. Allow me to express my heartfelt congratulations and deepest respect to Dr. Ikeda on behalf of the University.
Dr. Ikeda is an envoy of peace who bridges China and Japan through friendship, a man of exceptional scholarship and a renowned figure in the world’s cultural community, as well as an eminent educator and philosopher.
In his capacity as Soka Gakkai honorary president and Soka Gakkai International president, Dr. Ikeda has dedicated his life to advancing the ideals of lasting global peace and humanity's happiness, for which he has won widespread recognition, respect and appreciation from the peace-loving people of China and the world over.
One particular achievement that we must never forget is Dr. Ikeda's monumental service in building Sino-Japanese friendship. He issued an exceptionally far-sighted proposal for the normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations from as early as 1968, setting forth a clear path for friendly ties between the two countries. After relations were officially restored, Soka University--which he founded--took the lead in accepting the first exchange students from China.
At Dr. Ikeda's suggestion, Tsinghua University signed an exchange and cooperation agreement with Soka University in 2003. Members of the faculty and students of both institutions have already established solid ties of friendship over the past seven years. To date, Soka University has accepted more than a dozen teachers from our institution for training and research, while Tsinghua University has concurrently accepted numerous exchange students from Soka University . . .
We are honored to have President Ikeda join Tsinghua University as an honorary professor while preparations are underway for our centennial in 2011 and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his inauguration as third Soka Gakkai president. It is an honor which our faculty and students truly appreciate, one that will shine as a stellar moment in the history of our university.
