The 69th IKCEST Training Programme for Silk Road Engineering Science and Technology Development was held in Walailak University of Thailand from Dec.6th to 7th, 2019. It was co-hosted by the International Knowledge Centre for Engineering Sciences and Technology (shortened as “IKCEST”) under the Auspices of UNESCO, Xi’an Jiaotong University and Walailak University, and was organized by IKCEST Silk Road Training Base. Prof. Dr. Surin Maisrikrod, Vice President of Walailak University, Prof. Dr. Charun Bunyakan, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs of Walailak University, and other 21 teacher representatives as well as over 100 students registered for the workshop.

     Prof. Dr. Surin Maisrikrod gave a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. At the outset, Prof. Dr. Surin Maisrikrod extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to professors from Xi’an Jiaotong University, and the staff of IKCEST Silk Road Training Base who attended the opening ceremony. He said in his speech that China-Thailand friendship was profound, and the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative has created new opportunities for political, economic, cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries. Engineering science and technology was an important force to change the world and inexhaustibly promoted the progress of human civilization. He hoped that the Xi’an Jiaotong University and Walailak University take this training as an opportunity to promote in-depth inter-school exchanges and cooperation, and write a new chapter of China-Thailand friendship.

    Du Haipeng, Project Manager of IKCEST Silk Road Training Base of the School of Continuing Education of Xi’an Jiaotong University, gave an introduction to the training programme. Teachers from the Faculty of Electronic and Information Engineering, the School of Law, and the School of Foreign Studies of Xi’an Jiaotong University gave lectures on topics of Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Traditional Chinese Culture. They also had academic exchanges with the teachers of Walailak University, and discussed the content and form of future cooperation.

    Up till recently, 69 sessions of IKCEST Training Programmes for Silk Road Engineering Science and Technology Development have been held by Silk Road Training Base, training more than 6,000 foreign students and staff from export-oriented Chinese Companies from over 100 countries. On behalf of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Vice President Zheng Qinghua signed The Memorandum of Belt-Road Online Education Project Cooperation with Walailak University on “The Belt and Road” China-Thailand Universities Internet & Education Summit Forum on Dec. 3rd, 2019. This training programme, organized by IKCEST Silk Road Training Base, is a pragmatic measure to promote the cooperation between Xi’an Jiaotong University and Walailak University, which marks a substantial step in the in-depth educational cooperation between the two universities.