ASEAN-China Centre Organized A Trip to Tianjin for ASEAN Embassies in Beijing

On 18 October 2013, ASEAN-China Centre, in cooperation with Tianjin Municipal Education Commission (TMEC), organized a trip to Tianjin for ASEAN Embassies in Beijing. Seven education officials from the Embassies of Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Viet Nam, attended the trip. 

Mr. Zhang Jianqing, Director for International Exchanges of TMEC made a presentation of the development of education in Tianjin, and its policies and services for foreign students, especially scholarships Tianjin provides to ASEAN countries. Mr. Zhang said that TMEC established Tianjin Foreign Student Foundation College in September 2013 to provide preparatory language learning for foreign students who are going to universities and vocational colleges in Tianjin. The Foundation College can also help foreign students to apply for admission to Tianjin universities or vocational colleges, and even provide internships and employment opportunities to them in Tianjin Economic and Development Area after graduation.

President and Vice President of Tianjin Foreign Student Foundation College made an brief introduction of the College and its advanced method of teaching Chinese. They hoped to cooperate with ACC and ASEAN Embassies in Beijing to jointly establish ASEAN scholarships so as to attract more ASEAN students to study in Tianjin. In the Q&A session, both sides had a fruitful interaction to learn about each other’s needs and explore future cooperation.

In the afternoon, the officials from ASEAN Embassies visited Tianjin Foreign Student Foundation College. They went into the classes while the students were learning Chinese and the Chinese culture from paper cutting and dumplings making, and enjoyed the delicious dumplings made by the students. 

Officials from TMEC and ASEAN Embassies expressed appreciation to ACC for organizing this activity, and hoped to keep close cooperation with ACC to facilitate more ASEAN students to study in Tianjin. Officials from ASEAN Embassies were pleased to know Tianjin’s efforts to attract ASEAN students, and welcomed the initiative by Tianjin Foreign Student Foundation College to establish scholarships for ASEAN students. 

The Tianjin trip was the 6th activities of ACC to promote the realization of the Double 100,000 Student Mobility Goal.