Group photo after the opening ceremony (Photo: Pan Jiajun)

The trip is aimed at helping Guangdong and ASEAN countries exchange and learn from each other’s vocational education and foster future cooperation. Officials from the embassies of nine countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos, are invited to visit higher vocational education institutions and high-technology companies in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

At the opening ceremony on Wednesday, nine education officials engaged in vibrant discussions with leaders from the ASEAN-China Center, the China Education Association for International Exchange, the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, and local vocational institutions in Guangzhou. Guests during a sharing session at the opening ceremony (Photo: Pan Jiajun) “Guangdong is a pioneer of China’s Reform and Opening-up. It has strong industries to support high-level economic cooperation with ASEAN. In addition, its rich experience in vocational education also creates vast opportunities for further integration of industry and education within ASEAN,” Shi Zhongjun, Secretary General of the ASEAN-China Centre, addressed in a speech at the opening ceremony.

The ASEAN education officials also expressed their wish to see more cooperation with China and Guangdong Province as well.

“Thailand and China are good at different fields. For example, Thailand is very good at tourism and services, and China is very good at high technology. We can exchange and share more curriculum, resources, and human resources,” said Pornsiri Charoenserbsakul, Minister Counselor of Education at the Royal Thai Embassy in China, who shared the fields where she hopes to see more cooperation between the two countries in an interview.

Yudil Chatim, Education and Culture Attaché from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in China, noted that there have been many enterprises from Guangdong that are investing in Indonesia.

“We need not only polytechnics and universities from Guangdong to cooperate but also businesses,” said Chatim who extended the invitation to enterprises in Guangdong to cooperate with educational institutions in Indonesia. In his opinion, this will help train more skilled workers that meet the needs of these enterprises locally.

As China’s economic powerhouse and the most populous province, Guangdong is a province with a strong education sector. It currently hosts nearly 38,000 educational institutions (excluding technical schools) and 28.17 million students, including 165 higher education institutions with 4.49 million enrolled students.

Meanwhile, the province is active in promoting international educational exchanges and cooperation. Currently, nearly 20,000 international students are studying in Guangdong, with over 4,500 from ASEAN countries. Additionally, 21 vocational institutions in Guangdong have launched 70 overseas educational programs in Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia and other countries, as revealed by Ms. Wu Yanling from the Department of Education of Guangdong Province. “We welcome young people from around the world to study and live in Guangdong,” she said.

Reporter | Chen Siyuan

Video | Pan Jiajun

Editor | Nan, Will, James