A "Plan for Building Peking University into A World Top University" has been drawn up, Xu said. He plans to build the university into an internationally acknowledged world top one by 2015 within a timeframe of 17 years or so.

Xu admitted that there still lies a considerable gap between Peking University and the world renowned ones, and we are confronting with a lot of substantial problems that need to be solved. For this purpose, the university will take the following five measures: implement the project to rope in more talents of highly creative powers, carry out the program of building a base for innovation, set up science parks with the stress being laid on cultivating students of high quality with innovative spirit and ability in doing practical work, and further expand the sources of funds through various channels.

(People's Daily 10/31/2000)