On 24 April 2018, the 3rd ASEAN-China Youth Forum was launched at Shandong University. More than 200 participants attended the opening ceremony, including H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Professor Cheng Lin, Vice Chairman of the Committee of the CPPCC of Shandong Province and Vice President of Shandong University, Mr. Wang Shenggang, Deputy Secretary-General of China Scholarship Council, Ms. Li Rong, Counsel of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Shandong Provincial Government, Mr. Meng Qingxu, Superintendent of Shandong Provincial Education Department, diplomats from embassies of ASEAN Member States in China, guests from the academic and business sectors, and students from 17 universities in China which include Shandong University, Fudan University, and Beijing Normal University.
Vice Chairman Cheng Lin delivered welcome remarks. He said Shandong University attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation and has established cooperative partnerships with prestigious ASEAN higher education institutions, namely, Thammasat University in Thailand, University of Malaya in Malaysia, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and jointly worked on programmes such as students and faculty exchanges, joint research, and Confucius Institutes. Year 2018 is the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. With its advantages in research and human resources, Shandong University has played an active role in facilitating the transformation and upgrading of conventional industries, fostering new growth drivers, promoting integration of industrialization and digitalization, as well as strengthening industry, academia and research cooperation. Shandong University has joined the Belt and Road University-Enterprise Alliance for Talent Development initiated during the 2017 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. It will cultivate innovation-oriented international students in collaboration with enterprises, thus providing intellectual support to local economic development and regional cooperation. He hoped that students of both sides will actively exchange ideas, contribute their wisdom and intellectual power, and prepare themselves for participating in public affairs and ASEAN-China cooperation, thus creating a better future for ASEAN-China relations.
Deputy Secretary-General Wang Shenggang pointed out in his remarks that recent years have seen ever-deepening exchanges and cooperation in the field of education between China and ASEAN countries. In 2017, there were 95,000 ASEAN students studying in China, accounting for 19.42% of all international students in China. In 2017, China Scholarship Council supported 58,000 international students to study in China under Chinese government scholarships, of which 7,677 were from ASEAN countries, comprising 13% of the total. He spoke highly of the important role the ASEAN-China Youth Forum has played in boosting student exchanges and hoped that this year’s forum will become a platform where young people of different countries share diverse cultures, brainstorm with each other, display the power of wisdom and establish deep friendship, so as to make further contribution to the deepening ASEAN-China education exchanges, enhancing the understanding between young people of both sides, and building a closer community of a shared future for China and ASEAN.
Ms. Li Rong said that Shandong province has been attaching great importance to developing cooperation with ASEAN countries, and has established friendship relations with local governments of many ASEAN countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. In 2017, Shandong province collaborated with ACC in hosting two ASEAN trade investment promotion events in Jinan and Qingdao respectively, which yielded good results. She expected students from China and AESEAN will take the opportunity of this forum to get to know Shandong, learn about Shandong and become fond of Shandong, so as to bring ASEAN-Shandong cooperation into a broader and deeper level.
Mr. Meng Qingxu pointed out in his remarks that Shandong province put a high premium on innovation education and has incorporated innovation and entrepreneurship education into the whole process of talent cultivation. He said 7 higher education institutions from Shandong province have been categorized as nationwide model universities in innovation and entrepreneurship education. He extended hopes that young people of both sides could gain insights into the impact brought about by technology and innovation to the society, economy, education and culture, and join hands to explore ways to create value through innovation, and make active contributions to common development.
Mr. Abdul Aziz How Abdullah delivered remarks on behalf of ASEAN embassies in China, during which he emphasized that innovation plays an important role in realizing the sustainable development of ASEAN countries and China. He said that the future development of ASEAN-China relations depends upon the younger generation, and higher learning institutions shoulder the important role of cultivating talents. He hoped that Universities from ASEAN countries and China will engage in more exchange activities and continuously push forward education cooperation into an upper level.
Dr. Nitinant Wisaweisuan congratulated on the kick-off of the forum and briefed on the university’s good practices in collaboration with Shandong University in fields of students and faculty exchanges, joint research and information sharing. She reaffirmed the willingness of Thammasat University to strengthen cooperation with Shandong University and other universities in China, produce more innovative talents for deepening ASEAN-China education cooperation and achieving sustainable development.
Student representatives from ASEAN countries and China delivered remarks and shared stories about their experiences of pursuing studies and making innovations. They both mentioned that innovation holds the key to driving social development and expected to explore ways of cooperation with students participating in this forum. They called on students from China and ASEAN countries to enhance the awareness of shouldering responsibilities, seeking opportunities, and making innovations, and by so doing to contribute to the common development of China, ASEAN and the world.
During keynote speeches, Professor Wang Yuzhu, senior research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, elaborated in retrospect on the course of development of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership and the fruitful results achieved. He analyzed the opportunities and challenges facing bilateral relations, and proposed suggestions for the future development of ASEAN-China relations. Mr. Liu Weihua, Vice President of Inspur Group, gave an introduction to the history of the company and its cooperation with ASEAN countries. He called on students to dedicate themselves to innovation and entrepreneurship and make contributions to the development of the region. Professor Dong Yu from the School of History and Culture, Shandong University, elaborated on the applications of innovation in history and especially in the field of archaeology. She encouraged Chinese and ASEAN students to strengthen exchanges and integrate innovation into all fields of social development.
Under the theme of Technology and Innovation, the 3rd ASEAN-China Youth Forum was hosted by ACC and organized by Shandong University. Students from ASEAN countries and China had in-depth discussions on topics of innovation and sustainable development, innovation and regional collaboration, as well as innovation and quality of life.
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