CANBERRA -- Academic relationships between Australia and China are set to expand further following the establishment of new cross cultural research center.

On Tuesday, the University of Tasmania and the Yunnan Normal University signed a formal agreement on the establishment of the Sino-Australia Cross Cultural Research Center, which aims to provide scholarships and exchange opportunities across the two countries.

"The Sino-Australia Cross Cultural Research Center will continue to support and strengthen our teaching and research partnerships with China," the University of Tasmania's vice- chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen, said on Tuesday afternoon.

"The Center will provide an opportunity to develop collaborative research and academic exchange, further supporting cooperation between China and Australia by conducting long-term joint cross-cultural studies."

As part of the agreement, the University of Tasmania will provide five PhD tuition fee scholarships, each worth close to 22, 000 U.S. dollars, for four years.

Meanwhile, the Yunnan Normal University will provide in excess of 800,000 U.S. dollars to fund research activity, fellowships and exchange opportunities.

In addition, the Australian Education Management Group will also offer a further 10 scholarships per year, each valued at 17, 000 U.S. dollars, for students seeking a Master of Education or Languages degree in order for them to undertake a series of internships programs in China.

"Today's agreement demonstrates the Universities' commitment to building partnerships through the Asia Institute Tasmania, which was officially established with the state government earlier this year," Professor Rathjen continued.

Tasmania's research center will be located at the Asia Institute Tasmania, while the Yunnan Normal University's research center will be situated in Kunming.

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