There are many other ways our students benefit by our presence here in China. The University of Nottingham isn't just known for its world-leading expertise in science and engineering.

Our business school, which has been acknowledged as among Europe's top business schools through the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) rankings, is developing a reputation in Ningbo for producing graduates who can hit the ground running when they start work. Our arts and humanities graduates are being hired for similar reasons: the education they receive here is not just about acquiring knowledge, but also about developing skills that enable them to work creatively in groups as well as on projects that require high degrees of self-motivation and initiative.

The University of Nottingham's decision to establish a branch campus, or more accurately a Sino-foreign collaborative university, in Ningbo was a mutually beneficial one taken in conjunction with Chinese partners and including input from the authorities in the UK and in China. The university's links with China date back many years, with well over 90 collaborations with Chinese universities. In 2001, The University of Nottingham was the first UK university to appoint a Chinese chancellor, the internationally-renowned physicist Professor Yang Fujia - who was subsequently the founding president of The University of Nottingham Ningbo China.

It is the success of our graduates that is the real measure of our success. Statistics filed with the government have consistently shown that all our graduates find employment or are accepted to postgraduate studies at top-ranking universities around the world within six months of graduation ceremonies. We will keep building on this success in line with our long-term vision: to provide Nottingham's globally renowned university experience to a broader population of students, while we benefit from the opportunity to gain an enhanced understanding of the locations in which we are operating.

The author is provost & chief executive officer of The University of Nottingham Ningbo China.