On the morning of 27 December, the opening ceremony of the 2022 “Greater Bay Area + Traditional Revolutionary Base Area” International Forum on Innovative Development of Vocational Education (hereinafter referred to as the Forum) was successfully held in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. The Forum was co-organised by Jiangxi Provincial Education Department and the Government of Ganzhou Municipality, aiming to build a highland of vocational education in southern Jiangxi, and to explore a new pattern of coordinated development for vocational colleges in the Greater Bay Area and Traditional Revolutionary Base Area. H.E. Mr. Shi Zhongjun, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), Ms. Pasupha Chinvarasopak, Minister Counsellor of Education and Science of the Royal Thai Embassy in China, Dr. Liu Limin, President of the China Education Association for International Exchange, Dr. Guo Jiezhong, Director-General of Jiangxi Provincial Education Department, and Mr. Lai Zhengwen, Deputy Mayor of Ganzhou Municipality addressed the opening ceremony.

Secretary-General Shi Zhongjun pointed out that ASEAN and China share geographic proximity and cultural affinity. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two sides and series of important consensus reached by ASEAN and Chinese leaders have mapped out the blueprint for bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and people-to-people exchanges in the next phase. As an integrated combination between industrial needs and education, economic demand and human-resource supply, vocational education provides pragmatic and targeted solution through cultivating large number of skilled talents for regional and national economic and social development. ACC is willing to work with relevant parties to deepen exchanges and collaboration in the field of vocational education in ways of facilitating policy coordination, creating modeling examples, promoting application of digital technology and strengthening personnel capacity building, so as to promote regional people-to-people exchanges and socioeconomic development.

Ms. Pasupha Chinvarasopak, Minister Counsellor of Education and Science of the Royal Thai Embassy in China, Mr. Yudil Chatim, Education and Culture Attaché of the Embassy of Indonesia in China, and Mr. Chindavong Xaiyasin, Education and Culture Counsellor of the Embassy of Lao PDR in China conducted expert reports on the Forum, introducing the status quo and strategies of vocational education in respective nations. Officials anticipated further bilateral cooperation in fields of talent cultivation, integration of production and education and transformation of research achievements to share accomplishments of vocational education, and deepen exchanges and mutual learning.

On the morning of 29 December, the delegation visited Jiangxi College of Applied Technology and Gannan Normal University, and held a panel discussion with colleges including Jiangxi University of Science and Technology and Gannan Medical University on strengthening international cooperation and exchanges between higher and vocational colleges of ASEAN and Ganzhou.