On November 26, President Hirofumi Makino, a representative of the Six National Universities Network (SUN)/ International Education & Research System (SixERS) in Japan, and President Guo Dongming from Dalian University of Technology, who is in charge of Japanese affairs at Excellence League (Excellence 9) of China—an alliance of nine universities of excellence in China—signed the Awaji Island Declaration.
　
The signing ceremony was held in conjunction with the 5th Japan-China Conference on Education Exchange and Cooperation, which was also held on Awaji-shima Island. The ceremony was attended by about 320 people, including H.E. Mr. Cheng Yonghua, Chinese Ambassador to Japan; Mr. Li Tianran, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka; Mr. Kazuo Kanazawa, Vice Governor of Hyogo Prefecture; Mr. Tetsuhito Minami, Deputy Director of the Office for International Planning, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; representatives from Excellence 9 and SUN/SixERS; and Japanese and Chinese educational experts and officials.
　
SUN/SixERS and Excellence 9 concluded an international exchange agreement in November 2016. To coincide with the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People’s Republic of China, they signed this declaration with the hope of expanding mutual exchanges.
　
In the afternoon of the same day, the Japan-China University Presidents’ Forum, the Japan-China Medical Exchange Forum and the Japan-China Conference on Education Exchange and Cooperation were held. Japanese and Chinese participants discussed academic exchanges between the two countries from their own perspectives.