Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, chairman of the Fok Ying Tung Group, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Renmin University of China during a ceremony on Wednesday at the university's Qianhai campus in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Zhang Donggang, Party secretary of Renmin University of China, presented the degree certificate to Fok and adjusted the tassel on his academic cap.

In his address, Zhang praised Fok as an outstanding patriotic figure from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a steadfast practitioner of the "one country, two systems" principle, and a remarkable contributor to the nation's reform and opening-up, as well as sports development. He noted that the honorary doctorate recognizes Fok's contributions to the country and the HK SAR, as well as the shared values and missions between him and the university.

Fok expressed honor and gratitude for receiving the doctorate in international relations. "Sport, as a common language transcending national boundaries, has always been an effective bridge for fostering understanding and cooperation," Fok said. He emphasized the role of sports soft power in promoting peace and said he would leverage the university's academic platform to deepen sports integration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and help expand the country's global sports partnership network.

He also expressed hope that students at Renmin University of China would systematically theorize from China's sports diplomacy practices, explore new models for sports to serve national strategies, and promote traditional Chinese sports to enhance cross-cultural understanding.