On October 22, the 9th Kunming Forum on Education Cooperation with South and Southeast Asia, hosted by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education and undertaken by Kunming University of Science and Technology, opened in Kunming. Centered on the theme "integrate RECP Education Cooperation for Regional High-Quality Development", the forum brought together more than 200 education sector officials, scholars and university representatives from China and countries across South and Southeast Asia. Participants held indepth discussions covering openingup and cooperation in education, engineering education, industry-university-research-application integration and talent training.
Li Junjie, Vice Governor of Yunnan Provincial People’s Government; BO Chankoulika, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia; KHAMKEO Hansana, Deputy Director General, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR; Liu Yong, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education of China; Dr. Sarintip Tantanee, President of Naresuan University of Thailand; Shahanaj Akhter Ranu, Consul General of Bangladesh in Kunming; and Tang Jiahua, Chairman of the University Council of Kunming University of Science and Technology, attended the opening ceremony and delivered addresses. Li Bingze, Director-General of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, presided over the ceremony.
The forum consisted of a main forum, namely the 2026 International Conference on Innovative Development of South and Southeast Asian Engineering Education. Concurrent events included the 7th LancangMekong University Students’ Friendly Sports Meet & the 9th Kunming Exchange Week for University Students from South and Southeast Asian Countries, 2026 Maritime Silk Road International Conference on Industry-University-Research-Application Cooperation- International Cooperation Seminar on Metallurgy and Energy, the International Conference of the Greater Mekong Subregion Academic Research Alliance, and the China (Yunnan)Malaysia Higher Education Dialogue. Guest participants exchanged views on topics such as joint formulation of engineering education standards, indepth integration of industry-university-research- application resources, academic collaboration across the Greater Mekong Subregion, and China Malaysia higher education cooperation. They advanced precise alignment of talent cultivation, scientific research and industrial demands, injecting fresh momentum into the integrated development of regional industrial, innovation and talent chains.
At the opening ceremony, a host of outcomes were delivered onsite: multiple cooperation agreements were signed; Sino foreign cooperative education institutions, key projects and Confucius Institutes were launched; several education cooperation alliances were inaugurated; and the RCEP Education Cooperation Zone Youth Science and Technology Scholars Exchange Camp kicked off. Focused on building the RCEP International Education Cooperation Zone, these outcomes further expanded the institutionalized education cooperation network linking China (Yunnan) with South and Southeast Asian nations.
Throughout the forum, participating parties conducted extensive consultations concerning the development of the RCEP International Education Cooperation Zone, high level Sino foreign cooperative education, vocational education, digital education, teacher training and talent development. All sides agreed that Yunnan, as China’s gateway radiation hub for South and Southeast Asia, should leverage its geographical strengths and first mover advantages in educational cooperation to elevate credit recognition, faculty student mobility and joint scientific research among regional universities. Representatives from multiple countries voiced clear readiness to deepen industry education integration and build cross-border skill training platforms under the RCEP framework.
It is reported that Yunnan Province has held the Kunming Forum on Education Cooperation with South and Southeast Asia for nine consecutive years since 2018. The initiative aims to build a specialized, highquality and influential platform for regional international educational exchanges and cooperation, and comprehensively advance connectivity, pragmatic collaboration and innovative development in education between China (Yunnan) and South and Southeast Asian countries.
This forum has further consolidated consensus on opening-up and educational cooperation between China (Yunnan) and South and Southeast Asian states, laying solid groundwork for Yunnan to accelerate the construction of a highstandard RCEP International Education Cooperation Zone.
Translated by: MA Bingyu, Division of International Cooperation and Exchange
Source: Division of International Cooperation and Exchange
Issued by: Division of International Cooperation and Exchange
