Lin Wenxun, Party secretary of Yunnan University (YNU), delivers a speech at the 2nd Yunnan-South Asia and Southeast Asia Education Cooperation Forum in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, on June 11. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

Yunnan University (YNU) executives attended the 2nd Yunnan-South Asia and Southeast Asia Education Cooperation Forum in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, on June 11. 

Lin Wenxun, Party secretary of YNU, and Li Chenyang, vice-president of YNU, took part in the forum.

More than 500 representatives from educational departments, institutes, and universities in 31 countries and regions attended the event. Attendees hailed from countries such as China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh, Italy, and Australia.

Yang Baojian, deputy director of the standing committee of the Yunnan People’s Congress, Thong Khon[e1] , minister of tourism in Cambodia, Ounthuang Khaophanh, deputy minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, Prachakhom Chantharachit, deputy secretary of the vocational education commission of the Thai Ministry of Education, Fang Jun, deputy director of the International Department of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and Zhou Rong, director of the Yunnan Department of Education, attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

Lin delivered a speech in which he stressed the significance of strengthening international exchanges in higher education. 

He said that the South and Southeast Asia University Consortium was founded in December 2018 at the proposal of YNU. 

The consortium’s first assembly attracted representatives from nearly 100 universities in South and Southeast Asia, showing that is has helped build a wider regional higher education community, Lin added. 

Lin expressed hope that universities from South and Southeast Asia would enhance cooperation and promote the application of scientific achievements in a variety of countries and regions. 

He expressed hope that the Yunnan-South and Southeast Asia Education Cooperation Forum would become a platform for facilitating long-term cooperation between Yunnan, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

During the forum, Li signed a memorandum of understanding with representatives from North South University in Bangladesh and Kasetsart University in Thailand.

YNU Vice-President Li Chenyang (second from right) signs a cooperation deal with representatives from North South University in Bangladesh and Kasetsart University in Thailand. [Photo/ynu.eud.cn]