On May 21st 2018, Hiroshima University held a Commemorative Tree Planting Ceremony with Ningbo University of Technology (NBUT) wishing for the development of academic exchange with the said institution. Mr. Chen Fangmeng, Deputy Party Secretary of NBUT, visited the Higashi-Hiroshima Campus of HU and attended the ceremony with President Mitsuo Ochi. During the ceremony, they planted a camphor tree, the symbolic tree of the City of Ningbo, as the sign of the friendship between the two institutions.

NBUT is a comprehensive public university located in Ningbo, a port city in the east of Zhejiang province of the People's Republic of China. Prior to the Commemorative Tree Planting Ceremony, the two institutions had a meeting where they discussed exchange through HU’s programs, such as the Japanese Language and Culture Special Program and the Morito Higher Education Institute 3+1 Program.

HU international students from NBUT also attended the ceremony. During and after the event, they enjoyed interacting with Mr. Chen Fangmeng and other representatives from NBUT. It is hoped that exchange between the two universities will be further developed.