On the afternoon of August 7, 2025, H.E. Mrs. Daravone KITTIPHANH, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos, led a 10-member delegation on a visit to Kunming University of Science and Technology (KUST). The delegation was received by Tang Jiahua, Chairman of the University Council, and Liu Dianwen, Vice President of KUST. The two sides held a meeting and discussions.

Tang Jiahua extended a warm welcome to the delegation. He reviewed the achievements in educational cooperation between KUST and Laos, and expressed particular gratitude for the "National Order of Labor" awarded to KUST by the Lao government, represented by H.E. Mrs. Daravone KITTIPHANH, last February — a recognition of the long-term collaboration between the two sides. He emphasized that the university will deepen joint scientific research aligned with Laos' industrial development, promote the "Outbound Excellence Engineers" program, and strengthen talent cultivation through the International College and the China-Laos Engineering Technology College. The university remains committed to supporting education and industrial growth in Laos. He also proposed a vision for further collaboration with the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports and institutions such as the National University of Laos, aiming to upgrade from student exchanges to a systematic talent cultivation framework, transition from project-based cooperation to institutionalized collaborative mechanisms, and advance from educational cooperation to deep integration of industry, academia, and research.

H.E. Mrs. Daravone KITTIPHANH praised the remarkable achievements made by KUST in recent years and spoke highly of the Confucius Institute jointly established by KUST and Souphanouvong University of Laos. She emphasized that in the era of digital economy, Laos urgently needs strategic partners like KUST. The Lao side looks forward to deepening cooperation in areas such as joint training of engineers, collaborative development of scientific research platforms, and faculty training. She particularly expressed the hope that this visit would serve as an opportunity to expand cooperation from the field of education to a comprehensive industry-academia-research collaboration chain.

Prior to the meeting, the delegation visited the Yunnan Institute of Advanced Study (under establishment) of the Ministry of Education, where they learned about the university’s outstanding accomplishments in serving national strategies and regional development, particularly its achievements in international scientific and technological cooperation with South and Southeast Asia. The Lao guests highly commended the university’s progress in green energy and mineral resource development.

Kunming University of Science and Technology will always uphold the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" to work hand-in-hand with Lao partners, deepen traditional friendship, and jointly write a new chapter of educational cooperation in the new era.

The event was attended by representatives from relevant departments of KUST, including the Division of International Cooperation, School of International Education, China-Laos Institute of Engineering and Technology, Yunnan Institute of Advanced Study, and the Faculty of Information Engineering and Automation.

Translated by: MA Bingyu, Division of International Cooperation

Source: Division of International Cooperation

Issued by: Division of International Cooperation