On April 13, the Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS) of Tsinghua University and the Commercial Press signed a publishing cooperation agreement, and the Editorial Office jointly built by both parties was officially inaugurated. Zheng Yong, Deputy Editor-in-chief of the Commercial Press, Bai Zhonglin, Editor-in-chief of the Nanjing Branch and Hangzhou Branch of the Commercial Press, Zhang Jing, Associate Director of the IIAS, Zhao Jinsong, Associate Director of the IIAS, Professor Jiang Jingkui, member of the Academic Committee of the IIAS and senior scholar of South Asian Studies, as well as young researchers and professional editors from both sides attended the event. The event was presided by Dr. Xiong Xinghan, an Associate Professor at IIAS.
Mr. Zheng Yong reviewed the academic publishing history of the Commercial Press. He pointed out that the cooperation between the two parties is highly compatible in academic vision, historical origin and development thinking. Dr. Bai Zhonglin introduced the overall cooperation between the Commercial Press and Tsinghua University, and spoke highly of the current partnership with the IIAS on publishing the book The Global as Field Site: A Ten-year Journey of Area Studies at Tsinghua University (tentative name). He said, Tsinghua University is one of the most important partners of the Commercial Press, and the IIAS is its first partner in the field of area studies in China. The “strong alliance” between the two will better boost international and area studies and academic publication in China.
Associate Director Zhang Jing gave an overview of the IIAS and looked back the history of the institute’s gradual development from a doctoral program in developing countries studies ten years ago to a high-level talent training and academic institution in area studies covering 6 regions and 43 countries. The institute advocates the talent cultivation and academic research concepts of emphasis on fieldwork experience, combination of English and non-lingua franca, and integration of main disciplines and other related disciplines. At present, as China and the rest of the world are further integrated, area studies will embrace a great opportunity to become a discipline subordinated to interdisciplinary subjects. At this historic juncture, the cooperation between the two sides is expected to further promote the development and construction of area studies into a discipline and to fully demonstrate the academic accumulation of area studies in the past ten years at Tsinghua University.
The IIAS and the Commercial Press officially signing a cooperation agreement and jointly inaugurating the editorial office
Associate Director Zhang Jing and Deputy Editor-in-chief Zheng Yong signed the publishing cooperation agreement on behalf of the two parties. Professor Jiang Jingkui and Doctor Bai Zhonglin jointly unveiled the “IIAS-Commercial Press Editorial Office”.
Prior to the signing ceremony, participants from both sides discussed academic publishing featuring “fieldwork”, construction of journals and periodicals, multi-language publishing and other topics.
