On 1 August 2016, the China-ASEAN Information Publishing Platform for Educational Cooperation was held during the 9th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW). ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Bangkok Thonburi University of Thailand, China Campus Network (CCN) and educational authorities of Guizhou Province, Hainan Province, Tianjin City and presidents of universities and colleges were invited to make presentation.
ACC Secretary-General H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping briefed on ACC’s mandate and its role in promoting functional cooperation between ASEAN and China. She said, with education as one of the priority areas, ACC had fully played its role as a bridge and facilitator, and had been working hand-in-hand with governments, regional partners and educational institutions to establish platforms and networks to pave the way for more exchanges between both sides. In the past years, ACC had facilitated the establishment of the ASEAN-China Language and Culture Centre, ASEAN-China Chinese Language and Culture Education Base, Southeast Asia-China Education Research Network, ASEAN-China mechanism for cooperation and exchanges in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), ASEAN-China Network for Cooperation and Exchanges among Engineering and Technological Universities (ACNET-EngTech). ACC had also facilitated the signing of more than 400 MoUs between Chinese and ASEAN TVET institutions.
Secretary-General Yang Xiuping said, In line with the Year of ASEAN-China Educational Exchange, ACC worked closely with the Ministry of Education of China, and organized a competition to design the Logo for the ASEAN-China Educational Exchange Year. During the CAECW this year, ACC would co-sponsor or support 8 activities covering higher education, youth exchange, TVET, traditional medicine education, and production capacity cooperation. Moreover, ACC also carried out a series of activities this year to promote exchanges and development of youth, including Beijing ASEAN Students’ Games (BASG), Forum of Youth and Humanities, Youth Leadership Summit and Youth Summer Camp. To further promote people-to-people connectivity and friendship, ACC would like to strengthen collaboration with all walks of life of ASEAN and China, and embark on more innovative and pioneering efforts to elevate education cooperation to a new level.
Presentations were also made by representatives from SEAMEO, Bangkok Thonburi University of Thailand, the education departments of Guizhou Province, Tianjin City and Hainan Province and other invited institutions. With introduction on the work that had done to promote ASEAN-China education cooperation, they all spoke highly of the ACECW as an efficient and pragmatic platform for education exchanges and cooperation, and expressed willingness to make even greater contributions to ASEAN-China education cooperation.