From July 16 to 22, 2017, Deputy Party Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Chen Zhihai of our college, along with Huang Xiaoli (Director of the Party Office and International Cooperation Office), Bao Xuedong (Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office), Li Shu (Deputy Director of the Basic Public Courses Department), and Zhang Jingjing (staff member of the International Cooperation Office), visited Luang Prabang Province and Oudomxay Province in Laos at the invitation of the Provincial Departments of Education and Sports to conduct educational cooperation talks. During the visit, the delegation held in-depth, friendly, and extensive discussions with the educational authorities in both provinces. The Laotian departments highly praised the achievements and progress made by our college in cultivating Laotian international students and agreed to promote greater development in educational and cultural cooperation between our college and Laos, especially with Luang Prabang and Oudomxay provinces, under the new circumstances. They also expressed their willingness to better benefit the educational and cultural industries of both countries under the framework of the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

First Stop – Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, the second-largest city in Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage site for both its cultural and natural significance, has been cooperating with our college since 2014. During the visit, the delegation held talks with Mr. Enro Savan, Director of the Luang Prabang Provincial Department of Education and Sports, and his team. They discussed in detail matters related to the recruitment and cultivation of international students, the establishment of a Chinese language training center, and the training of skill-based talents urgently needed in Luang Prabang. The meeting was based on the principle that higher education institutions should serve the local economy and aimed to build a platform for Leshan City and our college to establish an international sister city (county) relationship with Luang Prabang for targeted poverty alleviation in Ebian County. After the meeting, both sides jointly signed a memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation.

During their stay in Luang Prabang, members of the delegation met with the President of Luang Prabang Vocational and Technical College to discuss issues related to cooperative education, the similarities and differences between the vocational education systems of China and Laos, and the establishment of international sister schools. The delegation also met with graduates from our college who are originally from Luang Prabang, visited their families, and had conversations with family members to understand the connection between the students' professional studies in China and their subsequent employment and internship opportunities upon returning to Laos, as well as the job prospects in their field.

Second Stop – Oudomxay Province

Oudomxay Province shares a border with Yunnan Province in China and is the closest province in Laos to China. Our college has been conducting cooperative exchanges with Oudomxay Province since 2011, and it remains the province with the closest ties to our college to date, with multiple reciprocal visits between the leadership of both sides. During the meeting with Director Bun Chiang of the Oudomxay Provincial Department of Education and Sports, the two sides reviewed the cooperation and achievements since 2011. Director Bun Chiang highly commended our college’s work in international student education and teaching, and expressed the hope that our college would expand its recruitment scale in Oudomxay. He also noted that the delegation’s visit would comprehensively plan the future development of the cooperative relationship between the two sides, marking a milestone in their cooperation.

During the visit, the delegation held educational discussions with Oudomxay Vocational and Technical College, focusing on teacher and student exchanges, teaching alignment, cooperative education, and the construction of vocational education systems between China and Laos. The delegation also visited the Chinese Language Training Center of the Oudomxay Provincial Department of Education and Sports and Oudomxay Provincial High School, where they exchanged views on the teaching system, content, and international student recruitment in Laos' basic education.