CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1 Name of the Alliance

1.1 The Chinese name of the Alliance in full: 丝绸之路大学联盟

The Chinese name of the Alliance in abbreviation: 丝路联盟

1.2 The English name of the Alliance in full: University Alliance of the Silk Road

The English name of the Alliance in abbreviation: UASR

Article 2 Date of the Establishment

The University Alliance of the Silk Road, hereinafter referred to as UASR, was established on 22 May 2015 in Xi'an, China.

Article 3 Objects and Purpose

UASR shall promote the Silk Road spirit - “peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit” - to establish cooperative education platforms and to further regional development. The Alliance shall facilitate cooperation among member universities in forms such as inter-university exchange, talent nurturing, research collaboration, cultural exchange, policy study, andsocialservices. The Alliance shall help strengthen the understanding and friendship across different countries.

Article 4 LegalCharacter

4.1 UASR shall be an open, non-profit and non-governmental international platform for higher education collaborations formed by the world’s distinctive universities, on an equal and voluntary basis.

4.2 UASR shall not be a legal person and shall not undertake any responsibilities of member universities, separately or jointly.

CHAPTERII MEMBERSHIP

Article 5 Eligible Institutions

UASR Members shall in principle be universities or other academic institutions offering bachelor degree or higher degree education.

Article 6 Application for Membership

6.1 The original membersof the Alliance shall bethe foundingmembers ofthe alliance.

6.2 Interested university or academic institute shall make an application to theUASRSecretariat.Membership applications are approved by a two-thirds votes in favour of the application by Members of the Executive Council.

Article 7 Rights of Members

UASR members shall enjoy the following rights:

7.1 Using the publicinformation of the alliance.

7.2 Initiatingand participating the cooperationin the alliance, such as inter-university exchange, talent nurturing, research collaboration, cultural exchange, policy studies andsocialservices.

7.3 Making otherconstructiveproposalsanddiscussing relevant matters.

Article 8 Obligations of Members

UASR members shall fulfill the following obligations:

8.1 Observing the Charter and maintaining the reputation of the UASR.

8.2 Actively implementing relevant collaborations and communicating with the other parties in good time.

8.3 Sincerely cooperating with other members without damaging their reputation.

CHAPETRIII ORGNAZATIONS

Article 9 General Meeting

9.1 General Meeting of the UASRshall beheld every two or three years.

9.2 The General Meetingshall be composed of all member universities. Eachmember shall nominateat leastone representative.

Article 10 Executive Council

10.1 The Executive Councilis the decision-making body of the UASR.The term of office shall befiveyears. Membership to the Council may be added or amended.

10.2 The Executive Council shall promote friendly cooperation among the membersand organizethe relevant activities.

10.3 The Executive Council shalladopt a friendly negotiation method to formulate and amend the Charter of the UASR.

10.4 The Executive Council can direct and facilitate the Secretariat on the daily operation of the UASR.

10.5 The Executive Council Conferenceshall be heldat least once a year.

10.6 The originalExecutive Councilshall be composed of founding members that havemade significant contributions to the establishment of the Alliance.

Article 11 President and Vice President

11.1 UASR shall nominate one President and several Vice Presidents.

11.2 The President and Vice Presidents shall be elected by two-third majority votes of the members of the Executive Council.

Article12 SpecialObservers

12.1 In order to promote the development of the alliance, UASRcould invitepersons of high social recognition and with significant contribution to international educational cooperationas Special Observers.

12.2 The Special Observers may be invited to attend meetings of the Alliance but do not have the right to vote.

Article13 Secretariat

13.1 UASR shall establish aSecretariat responsible for the daily operationsand communication of the Alliance.

13.2 UASRSecretariat is hosted by Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) at XI'AN, China.XJTU shall provide for funding necessary for the operation of the Alliance.

CHAPETRIV SCOPE OF COOPERATIONS

Article 14 Inter-university Exchange

14.1 UASRshallpromotetheinter-university exchange of all forms.

14.2 UASR shall establish an information exchange and resources sharing platform among members tofacilitate the cooperation.

14.3 Allthe inter-universityprograms among members shall be based on friendly consultation and mutual benefits, and shall comply with the laws and follow the required application procedures of respective countries.

Article 15 Nurturing Talents

15.1 UASRshall encourage members to organize independent or joint student exchange programs, with a view to expanding the scale of international student exchange.

15.2 Allthecooperative education programs among members shall comply with the laws and procedures of respective countries. The Alliance shall notbearany responsibilitythatmay be resulted from such cooperative education programs.

Article 16 Research Collaborations

16.1 UASR will enhance theexchange and communication of researchers and promote thecooperation in science and technology in order to establish joint research centers and international technology transfer centers.

16.2 Detailsof scientific and technological achievements, patents, and property rights of joint projects shall be negotiated separately by specific parties involved.

Article 17 Cultural Exchange

17.1 The Alliance shall support membersto organize activities of technological innovations, cultural exchange camps, summer programs, sports competitions, cultural festivals, arts festival etc., so as to promote exchange among students of member universities.

17.2 Cultural exchange under the framework of the Allianceshall be carried out in accordance with the laws, and with respect of the culture and religious customs of respective countries and regions.

Article 18 Policy Studies

18.1 UASR shall encourage members, on a respectful and cooperative basis, to organize communications and dialogues in the spheres of humanities and social science and set up unique think-tanks and policy studies dialogue platforms.

18.2 Policy studies, under the UASR framework, shall be carried out in accordance with applicable domestic andinternational laws and regulations.

Article 19 Social Services

19.1 UASRshall encourage qualified and distinctive universities to developsocialservice collaborationsto help local and global development.

Article20 Regional and Specialized Sub-alliances

20.1 Members, under the framework of the Charter, may establishdiverse regional and specializedsub-alliances.

20.2 The sub-alliances could own the independent charters following the principles and spirit of this UASR Charter.

CHAPTERV SUPPLEMETAL PROVISION

Article 21 This charter shall be adopted by the Executive Council, and enter into forceafterbeing publicized to all members.

Article 22 The UASR Secretariat shall be responsible for the interpretation of the Charter.