Delegates Attend the 3rd Chinese - ASEAN University Presidents Forum

The 3rd Chinese - ASEAN University Presidents Forum was held March 30-31, 2010 in Bhd a charming coastal city on the Malaysian side of the Strait of Malacca. Delegates from the Ministry of Education of the PRC, the Ministry of Education of Thailand the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN University Network Secretariat, and 22 universities from the 10 ASEAN countries and 15 universities from China attended the forum. Wang Libin, Vice president of our school, and Guo Gang, chief of the Foreign Affairs Office also attended the forum.

Through negotiation, it was agreed to further enlarge and enhance activities in student communications and to develop non-degree programs, such as summer camps, in areas including ASEAN studies and Chinese studies. It was also agreed to strengthen academic cooperation through academic forums and seminars in areas such as climate change, water resource management, communicable diseases, energy, crisis and disaster management, labor resource development, cultural pluralism, language training and education. Strategic cooperation plans will be developed in areas such as science, technology and engineering. Delegates also discussed the feasibility of developing cooperative research and awarding joint degrees. Additionally, it was decided that the 4th Chinese - ASEAN University Presidents Forum in 2012 will be hosted by the University of Singapore.

During the meeting, our delegates had friendly talks with teachers and students from Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, University of Singapore, University of Malaysia and University of the Philippines. They established preliminary links with these universities, thus cementing a solid foundation for future cooperation.