During attending the 6th ACC-SEAMEO-CAECW Tripartite Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), met with Ms. Song Ruoyun, Chief of the Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand. The two sides exchanged views on China-Thailand and ASEAN-China education collaboration. Ms. Zhou Hui, Deputy Director of Education, Culture and Tourism Division of ACC, and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, were present.

Ms. Song briefed on the education exchanges and cooperation between China and Thailand. She said there were around 25,000 Thai students studying in China in 2017, and around 37,000 Chinese students in Thailand the same year. Thailand is the top country for China to send out Chinese language volunteers. There are currently 16 Confucius Institutes and 19 Confucius Classrooms in Thailand. Ms. Song said both countries are undergoing economic transformation and upgrading, and deepening practical collaboration in such fields as infrastructure construction, which put forward higher requirements for producing high-quality professionals. ACC is an important platform for promoting friendly exchanges and collaboration between China and ASEAN countries. The Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand is willing to further dialogues with ACC so as to tap the potential for further collaboration and contribute to strengthening ASEAN-China education exchanges.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping highly commended the Embassy’s efforts in promoting Thailand-China and ASEAN-China education exchanges. She briefed on ACC’s work in the education field. She said that education has always been a priority area for ACC. In recent years, ACC has supported and participated in the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, facilitated the establishment of various mechanisms such as the ASEAN-China Consortium for TVET Cooperation, the Tourism Education Alliance, and the Art Education Alliance, and held a series of activities including ASEAN-China Youth Summer Camp and Winter Camp, Youth Forum, Chinese Language Competition, and Annual Gala for ASEAN Students in China, etc. As 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation, ACC will take the opportunity to further coordinate and collaborate with all parties including the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, so as to bring innovation and richer contents into existing collaboration, promote the practical collaboration between China and ASEAN, and make greater contributions to the people-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand as well as between China and ASEAN countries.

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