Forum on Asian education cooperation opens at Yunnan University

The 2024 Kunming Forum on South and Southeast Asian Education Cooperation ran from Oct 24 to 28 at Yunnan University in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

The forum is held at Yunnan University. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The forum's opening ceremony brought together over 160 representatives, including university cadres, consulate representatives, experts and scholars, students, and business delegates from 15 South and Southeast Asian countries.

Ma Wenhui, president of Yunnan University, and Safia Ahmad, president of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University in Pakistan, delivered speeches at the forum.

The event also marked the inauguration of the Subcommittee for Mountainous Sustainable Development under the South and Southeast Asian University Network, which welcomed new members such as Lumbini Buddhist University in Nepal, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, and Kunming Preschool Teachers College.

Yunnan University's School of Software also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on research and educational collaboration with the Maldives National University. Seven International Chinese Language Education Internship and Practice Bases were launched in cooperation with institutions in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and several Chinese units by Yunnan University's School of International Chinese Language Education.

At four academic subforums, experts and scholars exchanged insights on topics including rural vitalization and sustainable development in mountainous areas, the construction of an innovation corridor in the Lancang-Mekong River region, biodiversity conservation and the use of unique resources, and the development of international Chinese language education cooperation mechanisms targeting South and Southeast Asia.