Yang Xiuping： Education Cooperation Vital to Progress

Educational exchange has become a vital part of China-ASEAN relations， says Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Center

During the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week held in southeastern China’s Guizhou Province this July， many were impressed by a charismatic official who spoke excellent English and attended all major forums. That official was Yang Xiuping， Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Center （ACC）.

A decade has passed since the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week was first launched. What are the achievements the two sides have made？ What areas will be expanded in future cooperation？ How has the ACC contributed to this process？ Yang spoke on these questions and more in an exclusive interview with China Report ASEAN.

>>China Report ASEAN： China and ASEAN member states have deepened their educational exchanges in the past decade. Would you introduce the achievements the two sides have made in this field？

Yang Xiuping： Education is essential for social progress and national development. With the active participation of all parties concerned， education cooperation between China and ASEAN has won strong support and achieved positive results. With the cooperation fields constantly expanding， educational exchanges have become a highlighted area of China-ASEAN cooperation.

As of 2016， more than 200，000 Chinese and ASEAN students were studying in each other's countries， realizing the original plan of achieving 200，000 students involved in exchange programs ahead of schedule. So far， China has set up 30 China-ASEAN education and training centers， as well as 31 Confucius Institutes and 35 Confucius Classrooms in ASEAN countries. At the same time， courses in languages of all ASEAN member states are offered in Chinese universities. In addition to productive cooperation in running educational institutions like the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus and Soochow University in Laos， many Chinese provinces and cities also carry out educational exchange programs， which have attracted a large number of ASEAN students. Close cooperation between China and ASEAN in the field of education has played a vital role in laying solid foundations for promoting the economic and social development of the two sides as well as understanding between the two peoples.

According to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang when he spoke at the 19th China-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting last year， China plans to make people-to-people exchanges a new pillar for China-ASEAN relations with priority given to education and tourism. China also proposed an upgraded version of its student exchange plan， hoping to bring student exchanges to 300，000 person-times by 2025. At the 10th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week this year， Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong announced that the Chinese government would provide at least 20，000 scholarships for ASEAN students to study in China over the course of the next three years. All these proposals provide a golden opportunity for both sides to deepen their educational exchanges and cooperation.

>>China Report ASEAN： The China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week has achieved extensive results since it was launched 10 years ago. What do you think of its success？

Yang Xiuping： Expanding in both scale and influence over the past 10 years， the China-ASEAN Education Week has yielded remarkable achievements and wide recognition. The event has attracted more than 12，000 participants and nearly 2，800 schools and educational institutions， with over 1，000 cooperation agreements or memorandums signed. A series of cooperation mechanisms have also been established based on this platform， playing an important role in enhancing diversity and institutional construction of education cooperation between the two sides.

At present， both China and ASEAN countries are at critical stages of development and they are in great need of well-trained talents. China-ASEAN relations have developed from a period of fast growth into a mature stage featuring an upgraded level of cooperation. This year， themed on “Share a Decade of Achievements in Educational Cooperation， Start a New Chapter along with the Belt and Road Initiative”， the China-ASEAN Education Week launched its permanent site and continued to promote the educational exchanges of both sides. We are eager to see this ever-growing event make greater contributions to the in-depth and sustainable development of China-ASEAN relations.

>>China Report ASEAN： What efforts has the ACC made to promote China-ASEAN education cooperation？

Yang Xiuping： In the field of education， the ACC has played an active role as a bridge to facilitate exchanges and cooperation between governments， educational institutions and students of China and ASEAN member states. We have built many cooperation platforms like the Southeast Asia-China Education Research Network， the ASEAN-China Technical and Vocational Education and Training Alliance， the ASEAN-China Network for Cooperation and Exchanges among Engineering and Technology Universities and the ASEAN-China Art Colleges Alliance. We have also established the ASEAN-China Language and Culture Center and the ASEAN-China Chinese Language and Culture Education Base. The ACC has facilitated the signing of 450 memorandums of cooperation between vocational education institutions in China and ASEAN countries， and helped over 400 ASEAN students come to China for study through scholarship programs. ACC partner Zhejiang Yalong Educational Equipment has donated vocational education equipment and training courses to Indonesia， Thailand and Myanmar. We have also provided support for youth exchange events like summer camps， youth forums and youth soccer games， cultivating the next generation to carry on China-ASEAN friendship.

The ACC played an indispensable role in China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. As a co-organizer of the event， we worked closely with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Secretariat and the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week Organizing Committee Secretariat on event planning. At this year’s event， the ACC co-sponsored or supported seven events， including the inauguration of the Belt and Road School-Enterprise Alliance for Talent Cultivation， the ASEAN-China Technical and Vocational Education and Training Alliance， the China-ASEAN Tourism Education Alliance， the China-ASEAN Institute of Science and Technology and preparation for the China-ASEAN Economic Universities Consortium. Our efforts were widely praised.

>>China Report ASEAN： How will China-ASEAN cooperation be further enhanced along with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative？

Yang Xiuping： Following the principle of extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits， the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative is not a Chinese solo， but a symphony performed by all countries involved. ASEAN is an important part of the grand plan. It was emphasized at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held this May that the coordination of the Belt and Road Initiative， the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 should be strengthened， which highlighted the prospects of China-ASEAN cooperation. The two sides should continue to optimize their top-level planning of cooperation in various fields， highlight the key areas of cooperation and carry out the construction of key projects. China-ASEAN cooperation should strive for the goal of serving the needs of both sides， so that the Belt and Road Initiative can produce more fruitful results and benefit the people of all countries concerned.

The year of 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN as well as the China-ASEAN Year of Tourism Cooperation. Next year we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership， and China-ASEAN relations will see an important opportunity to be upgraded. We believe that with the concerted efforts of all parties， pragmatic cooperation between the two side in all areas will be pushed to a new level and achieve more fruitful results， injecting greater impetus to the building of a closer China-ASEAN community of shared future.