One of China's leading universities has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an Australian partner, to establish a new joint research hub focused on humanities, social sciences and China-related studies.

Representatives from the East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai traveled to Melbourne's La Trobe University for the official signing ceremony on Thursday.

"East China Normal University is privileged to engage ourselves in this new extension of our longstanding partnership with La Trobe University, which dates back to the mid-1980s," Vice President of ECNU Wang Rongming said.

"We believe this new joint research hub will serve as an excellent scholarly platform to reap mutual benefits to both universities," he added.

"There will be more active academic exchanges and collaboration via this conduit, and bring forth fruitful world-class outcomes."

As part of the initiative, the research hub will participate in everything from joint research projects, to exchange programs for junior scholars from each university, workshops, seminars, researcher visits and annual public lectures by eminent scholars in Melbourne and Shanghai.

Excited by the prospect of building closer academic ties, head of the China Studies Research Center at La Trobe, John Makeham, said the collaboration will help strengthen understanding in a wide range of research areas.

"With the aim of promoting and advancing La Trobe's research strengths in China Studies across wide-ranging research areas, the China Studies Research Center fosters research links with partners and institutions in Greater China, including with the prestigious East China Normal University," he said.

"The center supports research initiatives across the whole University, from archaeology to soil sciences, marketing to philosophy, and I very much look forward to exploring some exciting new collaborative research opportunities with East China Normal University as part of our joint research hub."

(Cover: College students engage with each other. /VCG Photo)