The global fight against COVID-19 has reached a critical moment as the virus continues to spread worldwide. Recently Prof. YANG Renshu, President of USTB, sent letters of solidarity to USTB partners in Germany, the USA, the UK, France, Canada, Japan, Australia, Ukraine, and other countries on behalf of the university to express his concern and support, share USTB’s experience in epidemic prevention measures and online teaching, and express his confidence regarding the inevitable defeat of the epidemic as well as extending the offer of assistance. In response several university leaders expressed their gratitude, a desire to continue sharing best-practices in order to win the fight against the virus, and further deepen cooperation and exchange in all fields with USTB.

Prof. Robert Jones, Chancellor of UIUC, replied to Prof. YANG to express his gratitude to USTB. He wrote, “Although our nation and our own community still have a distance to go before this disease is behind us here, it still gives us joy to see some of our colleagues and friends emerge from its shadow”. Prof. Jones also expressed his university’s willingness to deepen its exchanges with USTB after the conclusion of the epidemic.

In his reply, Prof. Santa Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, highly praised the tremendous efforts made by the Chinese people. He wrote, “We are deeply touched by the heroic response by the medical workers and the sacrifice that Chinese people have made in containing the virus”. According to him, UBC has taken several measures to cope with the coronavirus and provide timely assistance for the Chinese teachers and students at the school. He then spoke of how he looked forward to continuing collaboration with USTB as well.

Prof. Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, also expressed his concern for USTB, while assuring Prof. YANG that he would prioritize the heath and safety of all his teachers and students. He further said, “We continue to take steps to safeguard our people, enabling our students to take online courses and employees to work from home through the delivery of online services”. Finally he concluded by expressing his hope that cooperation and exchanges with USTB would resume following the defeat of the coronavirus.

Prof. Paul Boyle, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said that they have been paying attention to USTB since the COVID-19 outbreak. He continued saying that as the epidemic is changing all the time, the health and safety of teachers and students would be the top priority. He extended Swansea’s gratitude to USTB for its support and assistance during the epidemic as well as its best wishes for the university. Swansea University has spared no effort to satisfy its students’ academic needs and properly process their applications for the upcoming autumn semester. He concluded by offering to provide any possible assistance for USTB if requested.

As stated by Prof. Hideo Ohno, President of Tohoku University, COVID-19 has posed enormous challenges to the whole world. His university has been eager to draw useful experience from China in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 as soon as possible. In his letter, Prof. Ohno discussed the epidemic prevention and control measure undertaken at his university, while further expressing that international cooperation is the only way to defeat the epidemic.

Prof. Kasahara Masanori, acting President of Hokkaido University, pointed out that they have taken many effective measures to guarantee the safety of teachers and students, including international students, faculty and staff. In addition, HU has been conducting scientific research for fighting against COVID-19 since the outbreak. To conclude, Prof. Kasahara emphasized the profound friendship between Hokkaido University and its partners worldwide. He said, “I’m also confident that even this situation cannot weaken the collaborative relationship Hokkaido University has nourished with global partners.”

Prof. Michael Zgurovsky, Rector of National Technical University of Ukraine, indicated that Ukraine has been facing adverse challenges due to the epidemic outbreak as well. Besides implementing strict administrative measures, they have guaranteed regular teaching and scientific research activities by promoting online teaching. He reviewed the profound friendship and strategic partnership between them and USTB, expressing his wish to deepen the cooperation with USTB after the coronavirus is defeated and make new progress in establishing joint laboratories.

Mr. Peter Hartges, coordinator for China from RWTH-Aachen University, expressed RWTH’s gratitude for Prof. YANG’s letter on behalf of Prof. Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector of RWTH-Aachen University. According to Mr. Hartges, no country is immune from the pandemic, and so the international community should join hands to jointly cope with the enormous challenge.

As an old saying goes, “people in the same boat should help each other for a successful journey”. Public health security is a challenge the whole world currently faces. Cooperation among prestigious universities plays an important role in bolstering international efforts and ensuring a shared community for the future of mankind. Since late January, as USTB and China worked to contain COVID-19, USTB partners including RWTH-Aachen University, Oxford University, and UCLA sent letters of solidarity to express their support for USTB. Now, USTB has sent its own letters to overseas cooperative partners to express its support and concerns for them. We look forward to when the pandemic will finally be defeated and we will once again be able to work closely with our friends and partners.