On the morning of 13 November 2021, the opening ceremony of the “Southeast Asia Forum” the 2021 International Conference and Innovation Forum on Integration of Industry and Education of the Greater Bay Area was successfully held. With the theme of “Regional Cooperation and Collaborative Development within the RCEP Background”, the forum focused on cross-regional economic, trade, educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia, and explored the directions, priorities and strategies of regional industry-university-research collaboration. Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), addressed the opening ceremony via video upon invitation.

Mr. Chen Dehai stated that ASEAN is a close neighbour, good friend and great partner of China, as well as a high priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy and a key region for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. This forum is of great significance to promoting educational cooperation between ASEAN Member States (AMS) and China, and enhancing the integration of industry and education of the Greater Bay Area. It is hoped that the newly established Chinese Language Teacher Education School for Southeast Asia will contribute to the educational exchanges and cooperation between AMS and China. As the only inter-governmental organisation co-founded by the 10 AMS and China, ACC is willing to work with relevant parties to continuously explore new channels for future educational exchanges to advance bilateral educational cooperation to a new level for further achievements, and make unremitting endeavours to promote economic and social development and people-to-people exchanges.

The forum was co-organised by the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies of South China Normal University (SCNU), Guangdong People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Cross-Straits, Hong Kong and Macao Collaborative Innovation Alliance and Guangdong International Culture Exchange Centre (GDICEC). Mr. Korn Dabbaransi, former Prime Minister of Thailand, Mr. Yan Bingchen, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of the Ministry of Education of China, Dr. Wang Enke, President of SCNU, Mr. Chen Kaizhi, Chairman of GDICEC, Dr. Wang Qinglin, Deputy Director of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan Affairs Office of China Association for Science and Technology, and Mr. Cang Feng, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of People’s Government of Guangdong Province, attended and addressed the opening ceremony online and offline. Dr. Ma Jianfei, Director-General of the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), and Dr. Wang Enke signed online on behalf of their respective institutions a cooperation agreement on establishing the Chinese Language Teacher Education School for Southeast Asia.