GUIYANG, China, Aug. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from CNS:

The 2026 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week (CAECW) recently commenced in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Under the theme "Empowering a Community of Friendship through Smart Education," this year's event aligns with the global momentum in artificial intelligence and responds to the shared aspiration among Chinese and ASEAN peoples for deeper mutually beneficial cooperation and a brighter future.

Maintaining its hybrid format, the week features a concentrated opening phase followed by year-round activities. Core programming includes the opening ceremony and parallel sessions focusing on higher education, vocational training, digital education, international industry-academia-research collaboration, and youth exchanges. Digital education serves as the central pillar of CAECW 2026, recognized as the most promising new frontier for regional educational partnership. Years of groundwork have established robust foundations, characterized by accessible resource platforms, functional delivery vehicles, structured teacher training programs, and a growing consensus on digital governance.

Lao Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Daravone Phothipalath highlighted the Laos-China jointly-built Railway Technical Vocational College as a flagship project. She noted that such collaborations have effectively supplied skilled talent for emerging sectors like railway operations, digital economy, and tourism. Looking ahead, Laos anticipates deepening cooperation in smart education, AI, higher education, teacher development, and digital pedagogy.

Echoing this sentiment, Myanmar's Deputy Minister of Education, Zaw Min, emphasized his country's eagerness to expand partnerships with Chinese and ASEAN universities in digital education, AI, faculty development, scientific research, and student mobility. He also expressed commitment to closer coordination with the China-ASEAN Centre to establish institutional networks and implement capacity-building initiatives benefiting the wider region.

This year's event fosters a multilateral ecosystem defined by "co-organization, sharing, and win-win outcomes." Notably, six of the 60 planned year-round projects will be hosted by ASEAN nations, including Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Thai Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Suthep Kaengsanthia stressed that China-ASEAN educational ties are pivotal to building an open, sustainable regional education system.

Cambodian Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Hong Kimhong underscored the "Education+" philosophy as CAECW's defining strength. He advocated for deeper integration between education and technology, industry, culture, tourism, sports, commerce, and innovation to drive sustainable development.

Since its inception in 2008, the CAECW has drawn over 54,000 participants from nearly 90 countries and regions, involving more than 8,000 institutions across ASEAN and Belt and Road Initiative partners.