At 8:30 a.m. on November 9, 2017, accompanied by cheerful duets of Chinese and Thai folk songs, the first China-Thailand International Nursing Education Forum opened grandly in the college's academic lecture hall. Leaders in attendance included Peng Yi, Deputy Director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education; Liao Fei, Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education; Yang Wenpei, Deputy Secretary-General of the Leshan Municipal People's Government; Chen Kun, Director of the Leshan Municipal Education Bureau; Tan Hui, President of the Leshan Association for International Friendship; Zhou Yi, Deputy Director of the Leshan Health and Family Planning Commission; Anchalee, Vice President Representative of the Thai Red Cross College of Nursing; representatives from the Thai Central Nursing Alliance II; Yaowadee, President of the Queen Mother Phutthabat College of Nursing; Ratcow, President of the German Böllinger Nursing College; and Jian Lu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Leshan Vocational and Technical College. The opening ceremony was presided over by Chen Zhihai, Deputy Party Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary of the college.

Secretary Jian Lu delivered the opening address. He first extended, on behalf of the more than 10,000 faculty and students of Leshan Vocational and Technical College, a warm welcome and sincere thanks to the domestic and international experts and scholars who had traveled from afar, as well as to the leaders at all levels who had long cared for and supported the development of the college. He mentioned that the college's nursing program has been in operation for 66 years, cultivating more than 20,000 nursing professionals who are now spread across over ten countries worldwide. Since 2009, the college has signed intercollegiate cooperation agreements with 13 Thai institutions, focusing on nursing education cooperation projects. Today, with the strong support of the Thai Central Nursing University Alliance and the Thai Northern Nursing University Alliance, the China-Thailand International Nursing Education Forum has been successfully convened, marking a new platform and starting point for international nursing education exchanges between the two countries. We will use the forum as a vehicle to actively promote the construction of a China-Thailand nursing education exchange and development platform, strengthen the connections and communication of nursing education among countries along the "Belt and Road," and comprehensively improve the level of nursing teaching and the quality of talent cultivation.

Peng Yi, Deputy Director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education, addressed the forum. She emphasized that strengthening international exchanges and cooperation is an inevitable choice for higher vocational education to adapt to the current trend of economic globalization and the requirements of national and Sichuan's economic and social opening up. Enhancing exchanges with vocational education from countries around the world, engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation, and learning from each other are of great significance for improving the quality of talent cultivation in higher vocational education. This forum is not only an important platform for sharing the latest cooperative practices in China-Thailand nursing education but also an opportunity for both sides to jointly promote the innovative development of nursing education, enhance friendship, and further deepen exchanges and cooperation. She hoped that the experts and scholars attending the meeting would spark wisdom in their exchanges, produce fruitful academic results, and contribute to improving the health levels of the people of both countries.

Yang Wenpei, Deputy Secretary-General of the Leshan Municipal People's Government, delivered a speech at the forum. She pointed out that for a long time, Leshan and Thailand have achieved good cooperation in many aspects and have forged deep friendship. The holding of this forum has created a rare opportunity for Leshan to further learn from and draw on advanced concepts in domestic and international health and wellness. She hoped that this forum would further promote international exchanges in nursing education and make new contributions to building a healthy Leshan and to elevating the interactions between Leshan and Thailand to a new level.

Subsequently, Ms. Yaowadee, President of the Queen Mother Phutthabat College of Nursing and representative of the Thai Central Nursing Alliance II, expressed her gratitude for the college's warm welcome and hospitality. She mentioned that the forum was initiated during her visit to the college last year and is an important part of the cooperation between the two sides. She believed that the forum would become a valuable platform for our faculty and students to learn and share experiences, and she wished the forum every success.

This international nursing forum aims to disseminate cutting-edge nursing academic ideas and share the development prospects of nursing. It is of great significance for promoting the development of the nursing discipline, enhancing the active role of nursing in "global health," and strengthening international exchanges and cooperation in the nursing discipline.

Over the next two days, numerous well-known domestic and international scholars and experts from the aforementioned fields will share and report on their latest research achievements and academic accomplishments.

This forum was convened based on the framework cooperation intention signed in October last year by the Thai Central Nursing University Alliance II and the Thai Northern Nursing University Alliance with nine universities and colleges. Both sides agreed in the cooperation intention to conduct cooperation in student exchange studies, faculty exchanges, joint research, and taking turns to host the "China-Thailand Nursing Education Forum."

A total of 241 domestic and international representatives attended this forum (42 foreign guests and 199 domestic guests), including 35 guest representatives from the Thai Red Cross College of Nursing, Thai Central Nursing Alliance II, and Thai Northern Nursing Alliance; 5 guest representatives from the German Böllinger Nursing College and the German Pasewalk Medical Group; representatives from Multimedia University of Malaysia. There were also 59 guest representatives from 29 institutions, including Peking Union Medical College, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Southwest Medical University, Xinjiang Medical University, Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital, Xinzhou Vocational and Technical College of Shanxi, Liaoyuan Vocational and Technical College of Jilin, Chongqing Medical College for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sichuan Medical College for Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Dazhou Vocational and Technical College. Additionally, 140 representatives from secondary vocational schools, hospitals, and institutions in Beijing, Fujian, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, and other places attended the forum.