It was a meaningful day for the People’s Republic of China and ASEAN economies because a ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the China-ASEAN Statistics Education Alliance (CASEA) was held on 17 September 2022 at Xiangsi Lake Campus, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics. Many parties including the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, ASEAN, and higher learning institutions from ASEAN economies joined hands to achieve the alliance.

CASEA serves as an international platform to promote statistics connectivity as well as high-quality development of statistics education in higher learning institutions in China and ASEAN economies. Its main goal is to facilitate international cooperation and exchanges in statistics education.

Present physically at the inauguration ceremony were Department of Education of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regions Deputy Director-General Dr Wu Chunhui; Guangxi University of Finance and Economics President Dr Xia Fei; Guizhou University of Finance and Economics Vice President Dr Ge Jianjun; National MAS Education Steering Committee Vice Chairman Zhao Yanyun and Guangxi University of Finance and Economics management and staff.

Esteemed guests from UNESCO, ASEAN as well as various higher learning institutions also attended the ceremony via Zoom to witness the meaningful moment. Among them were ASEAN Executive Director for Federation of Accountants Aucky Pratama, UNESCO Institute for Statistics Consultant Yousef Ismail, UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Goi Bok Min; National University of Management (Cambodia) Vice-Rector Dr Seng Buntheon and representatives from other higher learning institutions.

In his speech, Dr Wu said, “It has been 30 years since the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations. I sincerely hope that every higher learning institution views CASEA as an opportunity to cultivate the development of digital economy, focus on statistics education and personnel training, as well as, strengthen our collaboration and exchanges of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in statistics to nurture a batch of experts who will not only systematically master statistical theory methods, but also be proficient in big data analysis technology.”

Dr Xia elucidated the importance of the alliance by saying, “CASEA will positively affect the planning and development of the Plan of Action to Implement the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity (2021 – 2025) and the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030. Moreover, the alliance will deepen the relationship between our universities and stakeholders to bring on next-level and high-quality developments in statistics education and career.”

Prof Goi enthused, “I am pleased to congratulate CASEA on your unified formation which will bring Statistics Education to the next level to benefit various stakeholders. It is my sincere hope that CASEA will serve as a cornerstone for an even brighter future in China-ASEAN relations by becoming the China-ASEAN regional first-class statistics institute that integrates talents training, scientific research, social services and international exchange and cooperation, to serve the economic and social development of China-ASEAN countries. UTAR would like to extend its best wishes for CASEA’s continued success and the next phase of its history.”

After the closing of the inauguration ceremony, the first-ever CASEA work conference was held to discuss future plans. During the CASEA seminar session, academic experts from various stakeholder institutions including UTAR were passionate about offering ideas and visions to achieve a bright shared future.

At the moment, CASEA is made up of 31 members; it is comprised of 17 higher learning institutions from ASEAN economies and 14 higher learning institutions from China. Some of the learning institutions include UTAR and TAR UC from Malaysia; Laksamana College of Business from Brunei; National University of Management from Cambodia; Yangon University of Economics from Myanmar; Rizal Technological University from the Philippines; Management Development Institute of Singapore and Assumption University of Thailand; Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Anhui University of Finance and Economics and Henan University of Economics and Law from China.