From September 15 to 17, the 2nd Belt and Road Vocational Education International Forum, hosted by the China Vocational Education Society, was successfully held in Yichang, Hubei Province. Centered on the theme “Skills for a Better Future”, the forum aims to implement national strategies for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative and deepen exchanges and cooperation in vocational education among Belt and Road partner countries.
The event brought together nearly 40 government officials, embassy representatives and vocational institution delegates from 12 countries across Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Africa and other regions, alongside around 300 leaders from high-level Chinese vocational colleges and key enterprises. Gong Fanghong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Wuxi Institute of Technology (WXUT), was invited to attend the forum and deliver a thematic presentation.
A series of landmark outcomes were released at the forum, including the Report on International Exchanges and Cooperation in Belt and Road Vocational Education (2023–2025), the China Vocational Education Development Report (2025), and a collection of typical cases of Belt and Road vocational education collaboration. Facilitated by the forum, Chinese vocational colleges inked more than 30 Sino-foreign cooperative education programs with institutions from Belt and Road partner countries, among which 12 agreements were signed on site. On behalf of WXUT, Secretary Gong signed cooperation documents with Dr. Nurhadi, Rector of Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and Dr. Linawati Lintara, Vice Rector of Petra Christian University. The agreements cover joint international talent training and China-Indonesia collaborative research for faculty members.
At the parallel sub-forum China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation: Experience and Outlook, Secretary Gong shared WXUT’s China-Africa cooperation practices. These include the customized “Chinese + Vocational Skills” talent program jointly developed with South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training and Transport Education and Training Authority, the South African Intelligent Manufacturing Center built in partnership with Jiangsu Juneng Equipment Co., Ltd., and the national-level NTA-8 vocational standard development project for intelligent manufacturing in The Gambia. He noted that overseas vocational education programs should follow the principle of education aligned with industrial output, with colleges and enterprises working hand in hand. Vocational institutions need to respond to local industrial conditions and practical demands of Belt and Road partner nations, so as to serve Belt and Road development, international industrial capacity cooperation, and the overseas expansion of Chinese enterprises.
During the forum, Secretary Gong was interviewed by media outlets including China Education Television and Three Gorges Daily. Drawing on WXUT’s international school-running practice, industry-education integration and achievements in Belt and Road vocational exchanges, he introduced the university’s distinctive approaches: leveraging regional industrial strengths, pursuing open education, and advancing collaborative talent cultivation between Chinese and foreign schools and enterprises. He stated that WXUT will uphold the philosophy of “education aligned with industrial output, with colleges and enterprises working hand in hand”, actively support the opening-up of vocational education, and deepen partnerships with universities and leading enterprises along the Belt and Road routes. The university will further expand international exchange opportunities for teachers and students, improve the quality of international talent training, and strive to build an open, high-quality and distinctive model for international vocational education cooperation. WXUT will contribute to mutual learning between Chinese and foreign vocational education systems and empower coordinated global industrial development.
(Contributor & Photographer: Hu Xun, School of International Education; Reviewed by: Zhang Xiaoming)
Forum Venue
WXUT Signs Cooperation Agreement with Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Secretary Gong Fanghong at the Parallel Sub-forum
