The University of British Columbia (UBC) officially announced Tuesday the establishment of its Asia Pacific Regional Office in Hong Kong.

This is the first such office for a Canadian university and is mandated to serve the entire region.

Martha Piper, president of the university said at the opening ceremony that the regional office will help UBC build and enhance existing, academic, government, and private sector partnerships throughout Asia while serving its students and alumni.

According to Piper, the office will be responsible for marketing, program development and alumni relationships in the region.

The university also hopes the establishment of the regional office will strengthen and foster new and dynamic academic, government, and private sector relationships between the university and its partners in this region.

UBC is one of the leading universities in Canada, and has a long history of research projects in China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, among others.