Professor Yoshiro HIGANO from the University of Tsukuba was invited to visit the College of Economics and Management of BJUT and participated in the activities of academic activities on Sept. 18, 2016. Liu Huizheng, the Vice Dean of the College of Economics and Management, expressed a cordial welcome to Professor HIGANO and discussed with him about the internationalization of the College Economics and Management, the exchanges of students between two universities and the cooperation of international journals.

Later on, Professor HIGANO delivered an academic presentation titled “Economic Development and Environmental Protection: Should One Be Sacrificed for the Other?” Starting with the environmental problems, the lecture illustrated the research methodology concerning environmental economics, ecological economics and overall assessment of the environmental policies, through analyzing a large number of cases combining with the theoretical basis of environmental economics. During the presentation Professor HIGANO provided some measures and advices about how to promote the balanced relationship between the economic development and environmental protection. After the lecture, Professor HIGANO had a lively discussion with teachers and students.

Professor HIGANO, doctoral supervisor and professor of the College of Life Environment Sciences of University of Tsukuba, is also an expert in the fields of environmental economics and regional economics and policy simulation. In 2012, he was the president of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI). He holds a longtime post in Japanese Regional Studies Association. In addition to having fruitful academic achievements, he is the councilor of four universities’ doctoral degree committees, such as Free University in Netherlands. At the same time he is the editorial board member of five international academic journals like Journal of Regional Science. In 2016, based on the journal of Japanese Regional Studies Association, professor HIGANO founded Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science (Springer). This meeting also probed into the cooperation and developing international journals.

The success of this academic communication between the College of Economics and Management of BJUT and Professor Yoshiro HIGANO of University of Tsukuba deepened the participants’ understandings of environmental economics. It will definitely promote further exchanges between the two universities-Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) and the University of Tsukuba. Both parts expressed their willingness to maintain close contact and enhance cooperation to make a contribution to the internationalization of the College of Economics and Management of BJUT.