On 6 April 2017, H.E. Mr. Soegeng Rahardjo, Indonesian Ambassador to China, and H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), met with Mr. Chen Gang, Executive Vice President of Qinghai University. Mr. Santo Darmosumarto, Counsellor of Indonesian Embassy in China, Mme. Ma Naixin, Deputy Director of Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, Mr. Ren Yanming, Vice President of Qinghai University, and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Executive Vice President Chen briefed the delegation that Qinghai University, established in 1958, is a comprehensive university featured in four disciplines of engineering, agriculture, medicine and management. Centered on the development focuses of Qinghai, the university has formed its strength on the research of eco-environment and grassland stockbreeding in Three Rivers Source Area, salt lake chemical, renewable energy and featured materials in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, etc., and cultivated a great number of professionals of applied science, which has made positive contributions to the socio-economic development of Qinghai. Qinghai University keeps to the path of opening up and has conducted various forms of collaborations with prestigious universities in China and abroad. He opined that Ambassador Soegeng and Secretary-General Yang’s visit and lecture gave a special opportunity to Qinghai University to strengthen contacts with ASEAN Member States. He hoped that, with the supports from Indonesian Embassy in China and ACC, Qinghai University could build the connections with universities in Indonesia and other ASEAN Member States to strengthen cooperation in scientific research, students and faculties’ exchanges, personnel training, transformation of research achievements, etc., for common development.

Ambassador Soegeng expressed his appreciation for the warm reception, and commended the achievements of the university. He opined that education is the key for the development and prosperity of youths, nations, and regions. The Belt and Road Initiative, especially the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, offers plenty of new opportunities for exchanges and cooperation of education in ASEAN Member States and China. Indonesian Embassy in China would actively support Qinghai University to enhance the connections with Indonesian universities, seek the convergence of shared wishes, and explore the new models of cooperation. He also appreciated the tremendous efforts ACC made for exchanges and cooperation of education between both sides. Furthermore, he expected that ACC, as a linking bridge, could facilitate both sides to achieve more concrete results in their cooperation.

Secretary-General Yang appreciated the thoughtful arrangements made by Qinghai University for the lecture, and outlined the mandate and recent work of ACC, especially the series of activities for the Year of Education Exchange in 2016. She opined that ACC would continue to dedicate itself to linking the education institutes of both sides, increasing people-to-people contacts, encouraging more students to support the friendly relations between ASEAN and China, and injecting new impetus to the bilateral relations.