On the morning of July 30, the "Partnership for Shared Growth: Global South Development Forum" was held at the permanent venue for the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province. The forum was one of the key events during the opening period of the 2026 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. It was hosted by the Alliance for Economics and Management Education (AEME) and the ASEAN-China Centre, and organized by the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, and Guangxi University of Finance and Economics.

He Xiuchao, chairman of the AEME; Ma Haitao, President of CUFE; Hadi Tjahjono, director of the Education, Culture and Tourism Division of the ASEAN-China Centre; Liu Junwen, director of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC); Miao Kunhe, Party secretary of Guizhou University of Finance and Economics; Wu Weixing, president of Capital University of Economics and Business; Fan Zuojun, president of Guangxi University of Finance and Economics; Pasupha Chinvarasopak, minister-counselor of the Royal Thai Embassy in China; A. Azman bin Arshad, director general of the Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education (DPCCE), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia; and Ei Nandar Kyaw, first secretary of the Myanmar Embassy in China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. More than 100 participants attended the forum, including representatives from embassies and consulates of Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and other countries, as well as representatives from domestic and overseas universities, industries, and international organizations.

In his address, He Xiuchao reviewed the achievements made since the establishment of the AEME, and put forward three prospects: First, "pooling synergy" — fully leveraging the AEME's platform advantages to promote deeper cooperation in joint curriculum development, credit recognition, and talent cultivation; second, "promoting development" — closely aligning with the development needs of the Global South and focusing on frontier areas such as the digital economy, the integration of AI and finance and economics, and financial governance; and third, "building mutual understanding" — fostering academic exchanges and cultural dialogues among teachers and students of member institutions, and creating an open, inclusive, and mutually learning culture.

He Xiuchao delivers a speech.

In his keynote speech, Ma Haitao pointed out that the collective rise of the Global South is a defining feature of the major changes unfolding in today's world. He emphasized that: First, we must grasp the changing times and consolidate the foundation of Global South development through education. The foundation of Global South development lies in the economy, the key lies in talent, and the basis lies in education. Second, we must embrace intelligent transformation, and activate the potential of Global South development through finance and economics education. Finance and economics education needs to cultivate interdisciplinary talent, innovate teaching and research models, and build international platforms to help bridge AI and digital divides. Third, we must unite cooperative forces, and solidify the path of Global South development through finance and economics education. CUFE is systematically advancing in intelligent infrastructure, application implementation, talent cultivation, and think tank development, continuously expanding the Global South cooperation network and contributing wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Ma Haitao delivers a keynote speech.

Hadi Tjahjono noted in his speech that the ASEAN-China Centre is committed to promoting practical cooperation in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, and media and information. He stated that this forum, focusing on educational innovation, talent cultivation, and sustainable development, provides an important platform for deepening exchanges and cooperation among China, ASEAN, and the broader Global South. In the future, it will further promote more practical cooperation in joint talent cultivation, academic research, and cross-border education.

Liu Junwen pointed out in his speech that poverty eradication and development promotion are important issues facing Global South countries. China has achieved a comprehensive victory in poverty alleviation, meeting the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development poverty reduction goal ten years ahead of schedule, contributing China's experience and wisdom to global poverty reduction. In the future, China will continue to deepen international exchanges and cooperation, promote the establishment of global partnerships for poverty reduction and development, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Miao Kunhe noted that Guizhou University of Finance and Economics adheres to open education, and has established extensive cooperation with universities in many countries. In the future, it is willing to use finance and economics as a bridge and education as a bond to continuously deepen international exchanges and contribute wisdom and strength to the China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Wu Weixing shared the challenges and solutions faced by institutions of higher learning in finance and economics in the new era, drawing on Capital University of Economics and Business's exploration in digital and intelligent transformation — including the establishment of the School of Artificial Intelligence, the deployment of an "AI+" interdisciplinary program matrix, and the development of large models dedicated to finance and economics education.

Fan Zuojun pointed out that internationally oriented finance and economics talent in the new era should possess a solid professional foundation, digital intelligence capacity, and cross-cultural communication skills. Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, through "AI+" and "minor language+" compound cultivation, serves regional open cooperation needs.

Hadi Tjahjono, Liu Junwen, Miao Kunhe, Wu Weixing and Fan Zuojun deliver speeches.

The forum focused on key topics such as educational innovation, digital transformation, poverty reduction and development, and talent cultivation, promoting the exchange of ideas, mutual learning of experiences, and practical cooperation, and further consolidating the consensus for the joint development of the Global South. Pornchanit Kaew-nate, vice president of Suan Dusit University in Thailand; Tieng Morin, vice president of National University of Battambang (NUBB) in Cambodia; Li Tao, vice president of CUFE; Qin Hong, vice president of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law; Shi Jinfang, vice president of Dongbei University of Finance and Economics; Pang Chuan, vice president of Macau University of Science and Technology; Yuan Honglin, vice president of Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics; Peng Hongfeng, vice President of Shandong University of Finance and Economics; Jiang Hong, vice president of Beijing College of Finance and Commerce; Zhang Xueyong, assistant to the president of CUFE; and Li Ming, assistant to the president of the University of International Business and Economics, engaged in exchanges and discussions around the forum theme.

During the forum, CUFE released the China and Global South Financial Cooperation System and the Annual Report on International Poverty Reduction, among other outcomes, and introduced the joint doctoral program in digital and smart finance with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as well as the joint master's program in data science in economics with Singapore Management University. Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics released the Global Governance Index and the Global Governance Index Analysis Report. Subsequently, two roundtable forums were held, where participants engaged in in-depth discussions on "Global South Educational Cooperation and Sustainable Economic Development".

This forum provided a high-level platform for deepening Global South cooperation in finance and economics education, and for promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development. Going forward, all parties will take educational cooperation as a bond, talent cultivation as support, and innovative development as a driving force, continuously expanding new spaces for exchanges and cooperation in finance and economics education, and contributing to the common development of Global South countries and the building of a more equitable and inclusive global development system.

Writers: HONG Xiaoxue, FANG Yi

Reviewers: PENG Yuchao, GAO Boyang

Editors: WANG Xinyu

Approvers: HUO Xiaoran