On 4 August 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Pich Sophoan, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (MoLVT) of Cambodia. Mr. Pichphan, Under Secretary of State of MoLVT as well as Ms. Kong Roatlomang, Director of Education, Culture and Tourism Division of ACC and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, attended the meeting.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping briefed on what ACC has done and achieved in promoting ASEAN-China vocational education communication and cooperation. She highlighted that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) was an important part of ASEAN-China cooperation and also one of ACC’s priority areas. Recently, ACC successfully hosted a series of TVET forums and symposiums, organized 4 Chinese delegations of vocational education institutions to visit 8 ASEAN countries, received 3 ASEAN delegations to visit 4 provinces in China and facilitated the establishment of ASEAN-China Consortium for TVET Cooperation. ACC also facilitated the signing of 450 MoUs between TVET institutions of ASEAN and China and more than 400 ASEAN students to study in China with various scholarship programmes provided by the Chinese side. ACC, in cooperation with Zhejiang Yalong Company, has donated vocational equipment and provided training courses to Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar and planned to provide equipment and training courses to Cambodia. Since Cambodia and China are both at the key stage of national construction, ACC would keep close contact with the Ministry to explore ways of cooperation and join hands in cultivating more highly-calibre professionals to promote economic development and benefit the people.

H.E. Mr. Pich Sophoan, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (MoLVT), introduced the history and work of MoLVT and said that TVET was of great significance to the national human resources building and social and economic sustainable development. He recalled his visit to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park in Gui’an University City during the 9th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW) in 2016 in Guiyang, when he was impressed with the local governments’ efforts to support the business startups, encourage innovation and develop vocational education. He said that Cambodia and China enjoy good bilateral relations, great economic complementarity and sound basis for cooperation, however there is big room for the cooperation in vocational skills training. Cambodia appreciated ACC’s active role in coordinating Chinese enterprises to donate vocational education equipment and would keep close contact with ACC to realize the donation so as to maximize the benefits to relevant vocational education colleges and its teachers and students. Cambodia also hopes ACC could further assist Cambodia in expanding communication and cooperation with Chinese vocational education institutions so as to improve Cambodia’s vocational education to a higher level.