On 29 November 2023, the 46th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting (HOM) was convened in Bangkok, Thailand. Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director of the Secretariat of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and H.E. Pol. Gen. Permpoon. Chidchob, the Minister of Education of Thailand addressed the opening ceremony. The heads of delegation and high officials from 11 SEAMEO Member Countries, representatives from SEAMEO Associate Member Countries, Affiliate Members and representatives from SEAMEO Regional Centres/Network in the UK, Germany, Canada and Australia, as well as SEAMEO partners joined the occasion. 

H.E. Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) attended and delivered remarks at HOM. With the theme of “Reinforcing ASEAN-China Education Partnership after Covid-19, Strengthening Regional Coordination Mechanisms”, he introduced the programmes carried out by the ACC in the field of education and the direction of future cooperation with SEAMEO. He reiterated that the ACC will redouble its efforts to build a closer ASEAN-China Education Network in 2024, to hold higher education policy exchanges, strengthen TVET training across the borders, promote further student exchanges, so as to serve the development of the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

During the HOM in Thailand, SG Shi Zhongjun further discussed ACC-SEAMEO-CAECW tripartite cooperation with Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim of SEAMEO and the Secretariat of Organizing Committee of the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW), and met with Dr. Phichet Phophakdee, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education of Thailand. The ACC delegation also paid visits to the Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED) of SEAMEO, Mahidol University. and Chulalongkorn University for in-depth education exchanges and cooperation.