An Asian university union, expected to promote ties and communication between universities throughout the region, will be established on April 29, according to Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University.

Initiated by Tsinghua, the union will gather 15 top universities in Asia, including Tsinghua University, Peking University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, together with universities in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and other countries, Qiu said during the Boao Forum for Asia on March 23.

The union will be tasked with exploring the value of education in Asia and amplifying the voice of Asian universities in global higher education, according to Qiu. Reform, globalization, innovation, new technologies and other major issues in higher education were also discussed at the forum.