The international forum titled “Digital and Intelligent Empowerment for Lifelong Learning — Building a New Ecosystem for Human Lifelong Learning” was held in Gui’an New Area on July 30. As the first thematic forum on lifelong education under the 2026 China-ASEAN Education Exchange Week, it gathered representatives from China, ASEAN countries and Australia to discuss how digital and intelligent technologies can empower lifelong education.

The forum venue. Photo provided by Xinhua Net

At the forum, the China-ASEAN Lifelong Education Cooperation Alliance was launched. As the first regular cooperation platform for lifelong education targeting ASEAN, it is hosted by Guizhou Open University, which serves as its secretariat. The alliance will carry out cooperation in four areas: mutual learning of teaching models, sharing of teaching resources, joint development of teaching standards, and collaborative research on education theories.

Li Jun, Deputy Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Education Working Committee, delivers a speech. Photo provided by Xinhua Net

Li Jun, Deputy Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Education Working Committee, stated that Guizhou has built an open education system covering both urban and rural areas through Guizhou Open University and implemented the “Dual Enhancement” project for vocational skills and academic credentials.

Fan Xianrui, Member of the CPC Committee and Vice President of the Open University of China, delivers a speech. Photo provided by Xinhua Net

Fan Xianrui, Member of the CPC Committee and Vice President of the Open University of China, proposed efforts in five areas: technology empowerment, elderly education, building a digital foundation, and international exchange and cooperation.

Song Soksan, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education Management, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, delivers a speech. Photo provided by Xinhua Net

Soudthida HOONGSENGPHA, Cultural and Educational Counsellor of the Lao Embassy in China. Photo provided by Xinhua Net

Song Soksan, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education Management, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, and Ms. Soudthida, Cultural and Educational Counsellor of the Lao Embassy in China, respectively delivered speeches.

Linghu Caitao, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Guizhou Open University, delivers a keynote report titled “Building Fertile Ground for Lifelong Learning with Digital 

Intelligence, Connecting Mountains and Seas with Openness.” Photo provided by Xinhua Net

Linghu Caitao, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Guizhou Open University, reviewed the university’s 47-year history and elaborated on its practices from four dimensions: digital expansion, digital certification, digital support for agriculture, and digital going-global — a five-tier network system, 408 community and rural teaching sites, and over 10,000 digital course resources; a credit bank that opens channels for credit transfer; training in e-commerce and assisting farmers with sales exceeding 5 million yuan; the course “Agricultural Product E-Commerce” being incorporated into China-Thailand curricula, an overseas learning center established in Laos with certified national occupational standards, and courses provided to more than 700 ASEAN students.

Luo Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Guizhou Open University, read out the “China-ASEAN Consensus on Lifelong Education Cooperation.” Photo provided by Xinhua Net

Luo Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Guizhou Open University, read out the “China-ASEAN Consensus on Lifelong Education Cooperation.” Guests also spoke respectively, and Yang Jingyan, winner of the first prize in the 2025 Second National “My Learning Story” Speech Contest, shared her story of lifelong learning. Guizhou Open University signed cooperation agreements with Indonesia’s University of SEMARANG, Malaysia’s University of Cyberjaya, and Cambodia’s First International Cambodian-American School respectively.

Editor: School of International Studies Wang Xin

Translator: Public Basic Course Department Sun Tingting

Chief Editor: School of International Studies Zhang Wen

Senior Editor: School of International Studies Chen Lina