BRI Cultural Exchange Program Brings Together University and High School Students from 11 Countries to Welcome the Digital Economy Era

BRI Cultural Exchange Program Brings Together University and High School Students from 11 Countries to Welcome the Digital Economy Era

Shah Alam, 9 Mar: Belt and Road Initiative Cultural Exchange Program, jointly organised by the Asia China Culture and Education Association (ACEC), China-ASEAN Alliance of Universities for Electronic Information Innovation of CAIH (CAAUEII), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and Anhui Medical University (AHMU), China, was officially launched today, attracting over 500 students from 17 universities and high schools of 11 countries.

At the opening ceremony, Mr Yang Chengcheng, Executive Director of the ACEC, said that the main objective of the program is to promote and develop cross-cultural communication between higher learning institutions in ASEAN countries and China, so as to broaden students' worldview and expose them history and culture of other countries. He said that in the process of organising this event, he was overwhelmed with supports from Asian countries, especially higher learning institutions in the Southeast Asia regions.

"Intercultural communication is an important skill and art of living at a time when  mankind sharing common destiny is the main proposition. Whether in our studies or at work, all of us, including students, are about to face a more diverse and complex world. To promote mutual understanding and cooperation, it is therefore important to have a certain level of understanding of each other's cultures and histories. We hope that this programme will serve as a catalyst to raise awareness of the importance of intercultural exchange. As a non-profit organisation that promotes cultural and educational cooperation between Belt and Road countries, we will continue to work in this direction."

Over 500 students from China, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan, India and Malaysia attended this cross-cultural communication event. Participating universities included Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Petronas, National University of Singapore, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Royal University of Phuket, Thailand, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan, Narottama University, Indonesia, Anhui University of Medical Science, China, Guilin University of Electronic and Technology, China University of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, China University of Mining and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Ningxia Medical University, Anhui University, Guilin Medical University, Huabei Normal University, and Kongo College of Engineering in India.

In his speech, Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr. Wahid bin Razzaly, Vice Chancellor of UTHM, highly recommended the cross-cultural exchange programme. He said that it was important to promote cultural exchange among university students from different countries, as it would not only enhance friendship between them, but also contribute to global peace.

"I call on universities from all countries to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative Intercultural Exchange Programme because it allows us, including our students, to learn together under one roof, to share together and to unite us all, no matter where we come from. I also hope that this event will continue.”

Other invited guests who attended the opening ceremony were Prof Ts Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Associate Prof. Dr. Wang Yue, Dean of College of International Exchange for Guilin University of Electronic Technology (GUET), Associate Prof. Dr. Huang XiaoHui, Director of International Cooperation of AHMU, and Dr. Zhang Xiuyuan, Director of International Cooperation of Ningxia Medical University (NMU).

The BRI Cultural Exchange Program will organise 10 sharing sessions on cross-culture, travel, food, dance, calligraphy, medicine, and historical sites over a two-month period. Through these sessions, participating students will learn about each other’s culture and history in an interesting way. Today’s sessions include “Traveling Through China” and “Malaysia Heritage Sites – Melaka and George Town, Penang”. University and high school students who are interested to join the programme do feel free to contact ACEC at 0163430660 (WhatsApp). Admission if free.

Asia China Education and Culture Association (ACEC) builds a platform for cultural and educational cooperation among the Belt and Road Countries to promote international cooperation in education, culture and development among governments and organizations. The association provides overseas education opportunities for high-performing students to enhance their competitiveness at the international level. ACEC promotes cultural and educational cooperation and exchange programs through the collaboration of governments, universities, and research institutions in order to enhance the quality of academia in the region. Through the Study Go China program, a subsidiary of ACEC, ACEC works with universities to provide students with special BRI scholarships and cross-cultural academic competency courses to help students successfully adapt to the teaching mode and learning environment in Chinese and Malaysian universities. The program currently supports courses in digital economy, electronic technology, artificial intelligence and big data, business, medicine, and arts. In education and research,ACEC contributed to the establishment of China-Malaysia Cultural Center, China-ASEAN Ethnic Medicine Research Center, Belt and Road Supply Chain Management Education and Research Cooperation Center, Halal Products Research Center, Beijing UiTM Global Study Center, and China-ASEAN Electronic Information Talent Academic Enhancement Center. The Industry-Academia-Research Alliance has members of more than 100 universities, 237 experts from China and ASEAN, and 107 enterprises. One of the Alliance member Huawei has set the first ASEAN academy in Malaysia. ACEC annual cross-cultural exchange activities to assist and improve in terms of cultural awareness and language skills, as well as providing scholarship opportunities to Chinese and Malaysian students. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China-ASEAN Alliance of Universities for Electronic Information and Innovation was established on 15 September 2021 to focus on promoting cooperation and talent training among alliance members in the digital economy.

BRI Cross Cultural Exchange Program will end on 30 April 2022. Details are listed as below:

Photo 1：Mr Yang Chengcheng, Executive Director of ACEC, and Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr. Wahid, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia gave their respective speech during the opening ceremony.

Photo 2: Liu Yuan from Anhui Medical University, China, explained to participants the 5,000 years history of China.

Photo 3: A group photo of the participants to herald the successful opening of today's cultural exchange event.

《一带一路跨文化交流项目》汇聚11国的大中学生，一起面向数字经济时代

（莎亚南9日讯）由亚洲一带一路文化教育合作促进会、中国—东盟信息港电子信息人才培养与科技创新联盟、马来西亚敦胡先翁大学和安徽医科大学合作联合举办的《一带一路跨文化交流项目》今天正式启动，共吸引逾500名来自11个国家，17所大学和中学的学生参加。

亚洲一带一路文化教育合作促进会执行会长杨程成在开幕礼上致词时指出，这项活动的主要目的是推动并开展东盟国家与中国高等院校之间的文化交流，从而开拓学生们的世界观，了解不同国家的历史和文化。他说，在筹备这项活动的过程中，获得来自亚洲各国，尤其是东南亚国家，高等院校的认同和支持。

“在人类命运共同体为主要命题的今天，跨文化交流是一门重要的技能和艺术。无论是在学习或工作，我们大家，包括学生们，都即将面对一个更为多元复杂的世界。因此，要促进彼此之间的了解和合作，大家首先要对对方的文化和历史有一定程度的认识。我们希望今次的跨文化交流月活动作为一次抛砖引玉的动作，激起大家对跨文化交流重要性的认知。作为一个促进一带一路国家之间文化和教育合作的非营利组织，我们会继续朝这个方向努力。”

出席这项跨文化交流活动的逾500名学生来自中国、新加坡、泰国、印度尼西亚、缅甸、柬埔寨、菲律宾、越南、巴基斯坦、印度和我国马来西亚。参与的著名大学除了有我国的国立大学、敦胡先翁大学、玛拉工艺大学、理科大学和国油大学， 还有新加坡国立大学、柬埔寨金边皇家大学、泰国普吉皇家大学、菲律宾理工大学、巴基斯坦奎德阿瓦姆工程科技大学、印度尼西亚纳罗塔玛大学、中国安徽医科大学、桂林电子科技大学、中国科学技术大学、北京师范大学、中国矿业大学、中国药科大学、宁夏医科大学、安徽大学、桂林医学院、淮北师范学院、印度孔古工程学院。

敦胡先翁大学校长拿督瓦希德教授在致词时高度认可这项跨文化交流活动的举办。他说，促进各国大学生在文化上的交流是重要的，除了可增进彼此间的友谊，这项活动也可对全球和平作出贡献。

“我希望并呼吁各国大学积极参与《一带一路跨文化交流项目》，因为他能够让我们，包括我们的学生在同一屋檐下一起学习，共同分享，让我们大家，无论来自世界的哪一个角落更为团结。我也希望这项活动能够继续举办下去。”

受邀出席的嘉宾还有马来西亚国油大学校长依布拉欣教授、中国桂林电子科技大学国际学院院长王玥、中国安徽医科大学国际合作处长黄晓晖和中国宁夏医科大学国际合作处处长张修远。

《一带一路跨文化交流项目》将在为期两个月的时间内举办10场有关跨文化、旅型、食物、舞蹈、书法、医药和历时古迹等的分享会。透过以上的分享会，参与的学生们可透过有趣的方式了解彼此间的文化和历史。在今天进行的分享会有《5000年历史与贡献：从中国走向世界》和《马来西亚文化古迹-马六甲和槟城乔治市》。大中学生可通过号码0163430660 申请免费名额。

亚洲一带一路文化教育合作促进会（ACEC）搭建一带一路沿线国家的文化教育合作平台，在各国政府及社会组织间推广国际间教育、文化和发展合作。协会为优秀学生提供海外高素质教育机会，提升学生竞争力。通过各国政府、大学、和研究机构的合作推动文化与教育合作交流项目，以提升区域整体学术水平。通过Study Go China 项目，ACEC与大学合作向学生提供一带一路专项奖学金和跨文化学术能力课程，帮助学生顺利适应中国和马来西亚大学教学模式和学习环境。目前项目主要支持数字经济、电子科技、人工智能与大数据、商业、医药、和艺术课程。在教育与研究促成了中马文化中心、中国-东盟民族医学研究中心、一带一路供应链管理教育科研合作中心、清真产品研究中心、北京UiTM Global Study Center、和中国-东盟电子信息人才学历提升中心。在产学研合作联盟中包含100多所高校，237位来自中国和东盟的顶级专家107家顶级企业，成员代表华为公司已在马来西亚设立东盟培训中心。ACEC每年举办的跨文化交流活动，协助中马学生提升文化认知及语言技能，提供奖学金机会。在一带一路数倡议下2022年9月15日成立中国—东盟信息港电子信息人才培养与科技创新联盟正式于，聚焦推动数字经济领域合作与人才培养。

一带一路文化交流活动将于4月30日结束。活动详情参阅以下图表：

图一：亚洲一带一路文化教育合作促进会会长杨程成先生与敦胡先翁大学校长拿督瓦希德教授在活动中致词。

图二：来自中国安徽医科大学的刘源老师向学员讲解中国5千文化历史背景。

图三：现场参与者大合照，预示今日的文化交流活动圆满开幕。