EFMD is delighted to welcome the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University into the global community of EQUIS accredited schools. EQUIS started as a European initiative for the benchmarking and accreditation of business schools but it is now the leading global accreditation system. Created in 1997 by a mandate of EFMD's member business schools including Bocconi, HEC Paris, IESE, IMD, INSEAD, ESADE, London Business School, and Rotterdam School of Management, EQUIS was inspired by the need to develop an international accreditation system for those business schools, wherever they were in the world that were trying to make an impact beyond their domestic frontiers.

Business schools that are accredited by EQUIS must demonstrate not only high quality in all dimensions of their activities, but a high degree of internationalization. EQUIS also believes that business schools should be as closely connected to the real world of business as schools of medicine are to working hospitals so there must be a balance between high academic

quality and the professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world.

The Chinese economy has seen and will continue to see enormous growth, opportunities and challenges. One of these challenges is the development of managers and business leaders who are able to work and operate on a global

context and Tsinghua has shown that it is ready to meet this challenge by having a world class business school and faculty close aligned to the needs of industry inside and outside of China.

In gaining accreditation Tsinghua University has shown that it is without question one of the finest institutions in China and having EQUIS will help to raise its profile even further on the international stage. For schools looking at partners and collaboration, EQUIS is often the major international benchmark and I am sure this accreditation will be noticed

widely across the management education community.

EFMD has a 25 year history of working in China and helping to develop the next generation of business leaders. Tsinghua is the first business school administered by the Ministry of Education of China to be accredited by EQUIS and this is a significant milestone for the development of EQUIS and management education in China.

Prof. Eric Cornuel

Director General & CEO

EFMD