GUIYANG, China, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — A news report by Huanqiu.com

“The theme of 2023 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (here in after referred to as CAECW) reminds me of the Silk Road in history. Today, the event is not only a journey of material connectivity, but also a voyage of intellectual exchange and collaborative learning. Education is the essence of the modern Silk Road, and the free flow of ideas and philosophies across the world help enrich lives and foster innovation, creativity and the spirit of learning,” said by Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN Secretariat in the video address at the 2023 CAECW. Themed “New Vision for Education Cooperation, Common Prosperity for Belt and Road”, the event was held in Guiyang, Guizhou Province on August 28, 2023.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of both BRI and the concept of cultivating a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Over the past decade, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and ASEAN has made steady progress. Both sides have shared the benefits of BRI development, and promoted respective process of modernization.

Over the past 15 years, CAECW has grown from a single platform for education cooperation to a platform including culture and people-to-people exchanges, which not only strengthened China-ASEAN education cooperation but laid a solid foundation for cooperation in other fields. Such diversified form of exchange and cooperation has contributed the “strength of Guiyang” to China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership.

CAECW enhances international influence and propels practical cooperation

The CAECW plans to organize 122 activities, of which 65 activities will take place during the opening period, with the other 57 scheduled in the rest of the year. In addition, CAECW strives to develop a number of branded exchange programs of education, skills and culture so as to tell China’s stories, convey Guizhou’s voice, enhance international influence and promote practical cooperation, which have been highly appreciated by the attending guests.

Nyunt Phay, Education Minister of Myanmar said at the opening ceremony, “As we move forward in an interconnected world, all countries must be united, leverage respective advantages and work together to improve the level of education for the benefit of future generations. In the context of globalization, the China-ASEAN education cooperation has great potentials.”

J. Prospero E. De Vera III, Chairman of the Philippines Commission on Higher Education commented, “The participation of Philippine higher education institutions in the 2023 CAECW is indeed timely in promoting the role of Philippine universities in social transformation.”

Nadiem Anwar Makarim, Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of Indonesia, praised that the 15th CAECW offers a perfect opportunity of deepening cultural exchange and cooperation on the moment of the tenth anniversary of BRI. Driven by regional cooperation, Indonesia and ASEAN are expecting a new vision of education.

“Singapore and Guizhou attach the same importance to education that opens up big space and potential of education cooperation between the two regions,” said by Loh Tuck Keat, Consul-General of Singapore in Guangzhou. At the opening ceremony of CAECW, Guizhou Provincial Department of Education and Singapore University of Technology and Design signed a cooperation agreement, heralding the closer and more sustainable exchanges and cooperation between universities in Singapore and Guizhou. He also mentioned the two previous Singapore–China cooperation programs, hoping that it will help clarify the future directions of cooperation between Singapore and Guizhou.

Language and culture exchanges in the digital era

People-to-people connectivity is a cornerstone of the shared development of China and ASEAN, which is dependent on and guaranteed by language exchange. The language and culture exchanges and mutual learning in the digital era is of great significance to further enhancement of China-ASEAN people-to-people exchanges and development of digital education.

During the 2nd China-ASEAN Language and Culture Forum themed “Language and Culture Exchanges in the Digital Era”, the China-ASEAN Language and Culture Exchange and Cooperation Initiative was released. The landmark achievement of language and culture cooperation: Vietnamese-Chu Nom-Chinese-English: New Dictionary of Four Writing Systems in Comparison was also unveiled. Additionally, the Cooperation Project of Nanyang Chinese Literature Classification Series was initiated, and a signing ceremony of cooperation agreements was launched between relevant universities in China and ASEAN countries.

Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, highly appreciated and supported the role of China Education Association for International Exchange in promoting the exchanges of language, culture and study. In the digital era, people are getting more connected that highlights the pivotal role of language in social, daily life and cultural communication. Digital technology provides a key platform for real-time global communication and sharing, promoting education equality and developing friendship among countries.

The Vietnamese-Chu Nom-Chinese-English: New Dictionary of Four Writing Systems in Comparison comprises nearly 2.12 million words and over 60,000 entries, providing massive samples for the academic community to go deeper into the relations between Chinese and Vietnamese languages. At the linguistic level, it involves Vietnamese, Chinese and English, while at the literary level, it involves Chinese, Chu Nom, Japanese and dialect characters.

Nguyen Tuan Cuong, Director of Institute of Sino-Num Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, noted that the New Dictionary conducts multi-language comparisons, including Chinese, Chu Nom, Vietnamese, and English. It extracts essence from the massive resources of ancient and modern resources, which fills the blank of academic circle.

Vocational education exchanges and cooperation has become a crucial driver of regional economic growth

As a significant part of China-ASEAN exchanges, vocational education exchanges and cooperation has become a crucial driver of improving the practical cooperation and promoting the regional socioeconomic development.

Thongsa Inthavong, Deputy Director of Vocational & Technical Education Department, Lao Ministry of Education and Sports, hoped to take advantage of platforms like CAECW and China-ASEAN Vocational Education Association to gather and share high-quality resources of all stakeholders, and deepen and enhance the cooperation on vocational education between Laos and China.

The 2023 CAECW will continue to deepen China-ASEAN digital education cooperation, Sino-foreign university cooperation on a higher level, and further enhance vocational education cooperation. ASEAN and China will seize this unique opportunity to reconsider and envision education, and further consolidate the role of education as a major tie of the China-ASEAN community of shared destiny.