UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat attended the 2023 China–ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW) from 27 August 2023 to 2 September 2023 which took place in Guiyang, China.

Accompanying Prof Dato’ Ewe at the event was UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong and Division of Community and International Networking (DCInterNet) Director Assoc Prof Dr Lai Soon Onn. They visited several higher education institutions in Guiyang, Fuzhou and Xiamen during the trip to China.

Themed ‘New Vision for Education Cooperation, Common Prosperity for Belt and Road’, CAECW was organised by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Guizhou Provincial People’s Government.

One of the events of CAECW, the Second China-ASEAN Business Environment Talents Cultivate Forum which took place on 27 August 2023, was co-organised by Guizhou University of Finance and Economics (GUFE), Guangxi Normal University (GXNU) and UTAR. In his opening speech, Prof Dato’ Ewe emphasised, “The business environment is an important cornerstone of international cooperation. It directly affects the economic development, innovation and competitiveness of the countries. It is not only related to the success of enterprises, but also to the prosperity of the region.”

In addition, Prof Choong was invited to present a keynote speech at the forum themed ‘Cooperating Mechanisms, Harmonising Markets: The Strategic Partnership of China and ASEAN in a Changing Business Environment’.

The Digital Empowerment in Higher Education Forum – The Sixth Annual Session of the China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Alliance of Universities, which took place on the following day, was organised by Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU) along with Guizhou Institute of Technology (GZIT). Prof Dato’ Ewe was invited to present a keynote speech at the forum.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony with BTBU and GZIT was also organised during the forum. The agreements were signed by Prof Dato’ Ewe, BTBU President Prof Guo Jianhua and GZIT President Prof Pan Liangming respectively.

On 30 August 2023, an MoU between UTAR and Guizhou Normal University (GZNU) was signed by Prof Dato’ Ewe and GZNU Party Secretary Prof Xiao Yuanping during the closing ceremony of the China-ASEAN Language and Cultural Forum. Under the MoU, UTAR and GZNU will work together on the joint establishment of the Research Centre of China-ASEAN Languages and Cultures and work to strengthen the academic research, cooperation and exchanges in the field of language and culture.

Prof Dato’ Ewe was also invited to deliver an opening speech at the China-ASEAN International Forum on Graduate Education. Themed ‘Building a High-Quality Graduate Education System’, the forum was organised by GZNU, Xiamen University (XMU) and UTAR. The forum saw the participation of experts, scholars and postgraduate students from China and ASEAN countries. During the experts’ dialogue session, Prof Dato’ Ewe and other scholars and guests from Singapore, Thailand and China jointly discussed the concepts and insights on the building of a high-quality graduate education system. They also put forward opinions and suggestions on further strengthening China-ASEAN cooperation in postgraduate education.

Apart from that, UTAR also joined the Founding Ceremony of the China-ASEAN Alliance for Graduate Education, an initiative that was co-founded by GZNU and XMU. The publication of “China-ASEAN International Cooperation Initiative on Postgraduate Education” was launched during the ceremony.

During the visit to China, Prof Dato’ Ewe also met with the leaders and representatives of BTBU, GZNU, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, Xiamen Institute of Software Technology, Xinxiang Institute of Engineering and Fuzhou Gulou District People’s Government to build rapport, promote mutual understanding and discuss opportunities for future collaboration.