Yunnan University co-hosts 6th Kunming Forum on Education Cooperation in S&SE Asia

In Kunming, the sixth edition of the South Asia Southeast Asia Education Cooperation Forum kicks off on Dec 15. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The sixth Kunming Forum on Education Cooperation in South and Southeast Asia opened in Kunming on Dec 15. Chen Jie, deputy minister of the Ministry of Education, and Zhang Zhili, vice governor of Yunnan province, attended the event and delivered speeches.

Officials including Sacklokham Silinthone, director general of the Department of External Relations of the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos; Aishath Hikma, director general of the Ministry of Higher Education of the Maldives; Waruna Priyantha Alahakoon, director of Education, Aesthetic Education at the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka; Mud Abdul Matin, additional secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education of Bangladesh; and Somporn Pandam, deputy secretary-general of the Vocational Education Commission of the Ministry of Education of Thailand, attended the event and delivered speeches.

Wang Yunfei, director of the Education Department of Yunnan Province, presided over the forum.

Zhou Xuebin, secretary of the Party committee of Yunnan University, attends the event. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

Guests discuss and expound upon various topics during the event. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

During the opening ceremony signing stage, Zhou Xuebin delivered a speech. Hu Jinming, vice president of Yunnan University, on behalf of the university, signed several memoranda of cooperation and agreements to jointly establish Confucius Institutes and hosted the China (Yunnan)-Southeast Asia Education Cooperation Dialogue.

Nearly 100 representatives from education departments and universities of 14 countries in South and Southeast Asia, as well as representatives from top-tier domestic universities such as Fudan University and China Agricultural University, and representatives from the education departments and universities of Yunnan Province attended the event.

They collectively explored new ideas, paths, and initiatives for international exchange and cooperation in education between China and South and Southeast Asian countries under the current international situation.

The Kunming Forum featured one main forum, the "Opening Ceremony and China (Yunnan)-South Asia Southeast Asia Education Cooperation Dialogue", six parallel sub-forums, an International Day-themed event for universities, and an exhibition on Yunnan's education openness to the outside world.

Representatives listen to a speech by Professor Hu Jinming, vice president of Yunnan University and executive secretary-general of the South and Southeast Asian University Network. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

A roundtable discussion on the topic of Faulty and Students Mobility in China-Vietnam Education Cooperation under the New Situation is held. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The forum was organized by the Education Department of Yunnan Province, with the involvement of several universities. Yunnan University, as the secretariat of the South and Southeast Asia University Alliance, hosted two parallel sub-forums – the third South and Southeast Asia University Presidents Forum and the fifth Red River Valley University Presidents Forum.

Ni Huifang, vice president of the China Education Association for International Exchange and president of the Yunnan Education Association for International Exchange, delivered a speech at the third South and Southeast Asia University Presidents Forum.

Participants discussed topics such as cooperation and development opportunities among universities in South and Southeast Asia.

At the fifth Red River Valley University Presidents Forum, representatives made keynote speeches on the opportunities, paths, and prospects for Yunnan-Vietnam education cooperation, emphasizing the need to strengthen substantive, constructive, and innovative cooperation between the two sides.