On October 23, the 8th Kunming Forum on South and Southeast Asian Education Cooperation hosted by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education and hosted by Yunnan University was held. With the theme of "Building a High-level International Education Cooperation Zone", the forum invited officials from consulates general of many countries in Kunming, university presidents, experts and scholars from 13 countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia to gather in the south of Caiyun to talk about exchanges and mutual learning, discuss cooperation plans, and seek common educational development.
The forum aims to further promote high-level Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools and vocational education between China (Yunnan) and South and Southeast Asian countries, strengthen cooperation in digital education, teacher training and talent training, and strive to build a high-level international education cooperation zone in Yunnan, so as to contribute the wisdom and strength of education to the economic construction and social development of South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Yunnan University signed cooperation agreements with the Ministry of Science and Technology of Laos, the National University of Maldives, and Yadanabhorn University of Myanmar, and Kunming University of Science and Technology signed cooperation agreements with the National University of Laos and the Minzhong University of Laos. The China South Asia and Southeast Asia Vocational Education Cooperation Alliance, the Yunnan-Guizhou Confucius Institute Classroom Work Alliance, and the China Yunnan South Asia and Southeast Asia Engineering Education Innovation and Development Alliance were officially inaugurated.
In addition, activities such as the "Lancang-Mekong Workshop" construction project, the 2025 China-South Asia Youth Exchange Week, and the 2nd South Asia and Southeast Asia Radiologist Training Course were also launched on the same day. During the conference, a series of activities such as the 4th South Asia and Southeast Asian University Presidents' Forum, the first China South Asia and Southeast Asia Vocational Education Cooperation Forum, the inaugural meeting and the first development forum of the Yunnan-Guizhou Confucius Institute Classroom Work Alliance, and the China South Asia Youth Dialogue were also held.
In recent years, our province has continued to strengthen educational exchanges and cooperation with South and Southeast Asian countries, and 14 colleges and universities in the province have held 44 Chinese-foreign cooperatively run institutions and projects, 22 Confucius Institutes and 26 overseas education projects overseas. Schools at all levels and types enroll 26,000 foreign students, of which 90% are from South Asia and Southeast Asian countries.
