Education as the "Media": A New Vision of China ASEAN Co conspiring for Cultural Exchange and Cooperation
On August 29th, 2023, at the opening ceremony of China ASEAN Education Exchange Week. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Liang
Guiyang, August 31 (Xinhua) - Lin Meixian, a Thai international student from the School of Economics and Management at Kaili University in Guizhou, dressed in Guizhou ethnic minority festival costumes, sang and danced with Miao and Dong ethnic partners, and shared her feelings of studying in China in fluent Chinese
On the 29th, at the opening ceremony of 2023 China ASEAN Education Exchange Week held in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China, the theme film entitled "New Vision of Education Cooperation," the Belt and Road "and Shared Prosperity" vividly told the stories of the two sides in education cooperation and people to people and cultural exchanges since the Week was held 15 years ago.
On August 29th, attending guests visited craft works during the exchange week event. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Liang
The relevant person in charge of the Guizhou Provincial Government introduced at the opening ceremony that the Exchange Week has become the most representative intergovernmental education cooperation platform between China and ASEAN, and has expanded from a single education cooperation to cooperation in multiple fields such as technology, culture, health, tourism, and sports, making positive contributions to the construction of China ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership.
Lin Meixian is not only a beneficiary of promoting education cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, but also a witness to the continuous deepening of exchanges and the joint pursuit of a new vision for education cooperation between the two sides. "It is precisely because of the diverse educational cooperation between China and ASEAN that I have the opportunity to study in China, learn more knowledge, and understand more diverse Chinese culture." She said happily about studying in China.
From unfamiliarity to familiarity, Lin Meixian has continuously grown in China, and her personal comprehensive abilities and qualities have been significantly improved. At last year's China ASEAN Education Exchange Week "ASEAN University Student Tourism Image Ambassador Selection Competition", she won third prize for her excellent tourism promotion and talent display.
On August 29th, international students sang the song "Landscape Guests" at the exchange week event. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Liang
Over the years, with education as the medium, cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN countries have become increasingly in-depth and extensive, and student mobility and personnel exchanges in the field of education have become more frequent.
From 2021 to 2022, ASEAN countries accounted for approximately 30% of the total number of international students studying in China. There are a total of 32 universities in Guizhou Province that have the qualification to enroll international students. The relevant universities have recruited a total of 79 countries and regions, with over 70% of them coming from ASEAN countries.
At the same time, many cooperation documents are being implemented in an orderly manner, and some visions are becoming a reality - since last year, China has signed international cooperation agreements on Chinese education with countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia; Relying on the China ASEAN Engineering University Alliance, China and ASEAN countries actively carry out joint graduate training in fields such as ocean and chemical engineering, and have established an engineering education information sharing and academic exchange platform covering 26 universities
At the opening ceremony of this exchange week, the relevant person in charge of the Chinese Ministry of Education stated that education is an important link in building a community with a shared future between China and ASEAN, and an important engine for promoting common prosperity and development between China and ASEAN countries.
On August 29th, students from Guizhou Culture and Tourism Vocational College conducted a live broadcast at the exchange week event. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tao Liang
Taking Guizhou University as an example, since 2018, it has cultivated nearly 800 agricultural technicians for countries along the "the Belt and Road".
"Based on the advantageous characteristic disciplines, the school not only pays attention to 'inviting in', but also strengthens' going out '." Song Bao'an, president of Guizhou University, said that education has built a good people to people exchange mechanism for foreign exchanges and cooperation, and the school has carried out educational exchanges and cooperation with more than 30 countries along the "the Belt and Road".
Nowadays, among the cooperation projects that have been implemented, many international students trained by Guizhou and other domestic universities can be seen. On the newly opened China Laos railway, many Lao students who had studied in Guizhou University participated in the service.
2023 is the 16th year of the China ASEAN Education Exchange Week. The theme of this exchange week is "New Vision for Education Cooperation · Co prosperity of the the Belt and Road", during which 122 activities will be held to continuously deepen exchanges and carry out practical cooperation.
The Minister of Education and Sports of Laos, Pu, who attended the event, said that the "the Belt and Road" initiative has promoted the development of Laos in trade, investment, tourism, transportation, education and other fields, linked the socio-economic development cooperation between Laos and ASEAN countries, and played an important role in promoting the economic growth of Laos and improving the living standards of people of all ethnic groups.
