Prof. Zhou Xuebin, Secretary General of S&SE ASIAN UN and Party Secretary of Yunnan University

The year 2023 marks the 5th year of the establishment of the South Asian and Southeast Asian University Network (S&SE Asian UN). In the past five years, adhering to the purpose of further enhancing people-to-people exchanges between China and South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, building a platform for regional higher education cooperation, and building a regional higher education community, the S&SE Asian UN has actively carried out work in disciplines, faculty staffs, students, public service and other aspects.

In terms of international academic cooperation, four sub-committees of Emerging Engineering, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Journalism and Communication, and Chinese Language Education have been established. A total of 14 international academic conferences and seminars in different disciplines have been held, building a platform and bridge for international exchanges and cooperation in disciplines. Next year, we will also explore the establishment of three sub-committees of Mountain Development, Physics and Astronomy, and National and Area Studies to continuously promote the cooperation in different disciplines.

In terms of the exchange of faculty staffs and researchers, we have set up the Chair Professorship Program, Visiting Scholar Program and Ambassadors. So far, we have a total of 24 Ambassadors and 3 distinguished Ambassadors, who will carry out joint scientific research and in-depth academic exchanges with teachers and students of Yunnan University (YNU) as senior visiting scholars. In the future, we will continue to implement the Chair Professorship Program, and continue to enrich the ways of personnel cooperation and improve the quality of cooperation.

In terms of student activities, we have carried out Sports and Cultural Exchange Week, International Summer Schools, exchange visits and other activities. Next year, we will also carry out outstanding students visiting programs to broaden the channels for students to participate in international exchanges and studies.

In terms of talent cultivation, we have set up the S&SE Asian UN Scholarship for member universities from South and Southeast Asian countries to provide help for them to study in China.

Over the past five years, the international cooperation and exchanges promoted by the  S&SE Asian UN cannot be separated from the support of our members. We will never forget why we started, and where to go. We will take the fifth anniversary as a new start to continuously contribute to regional cooperation in higher education.