On the morning of November 24, the launch ceremony of the Southeast Asia Base of the Chinese Society of Engineers Continuing Professional Development (hereinafter referred to as the “Base”) was held at Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center (Tsinghua SEA) in Bali.
More than 80 people attended the ceremony, including H.E. Mr. HE Junke, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), and Chairman of CSE, H.E. Mr. Eric Thohir, acting Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises of Indonesia, Mr. ZHU Xinglong, Consul General of Chinese Consulate-General in Denpasar, Ms. Nani Hendiarti, Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia, Prof. LI Luming, Vice President of Tsinghua University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Mr. WANG Kun, President of the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce in China (INACHAM), Sir Gordon Duff, Honorary President of the United in Diversity Foundation (UID), Ms. Cherie Nursalim, Vice Chairman of UID, H E. Amb Tantowi Yahya, President of UID, Mr. ZHANG Jinsheng, Executive President of Tus-Holdings and Chairman of TusStar, as well as guests from CAST departments, the Secretariat of CSE, universities in Indonesia, and INACHAM, those attending the 41st Conference of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (CAFEO 41), and representatives of Indonesian Chinese-funded enterprises. The ceremony was presided over by Mr. LIU Zhen, Director of Tsinghua SEA, Dean of the School of Continuing Education, Tsinghua University, and Chairman of CSE Continuing Professional Development Committee.
Prof. LI Luming delivered a welcome speech at the ceremony on behalf of Tsinghua University and welcomed all guests who attended the launch ceremony of the Base. He noted that the establishment of the Base represents an outcome of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between Tsinghua University and CAST, which provides a critical platform for promoting cooperation and exchanges among China, Indonesia and South Asian countries in the field of engineering and technology. It is also an important part of the efforts of Tsinghua University to comprehensively implement the Global Strategy and foster a new pattern of international cooperation and exchanges. Prof. LI stressed the great importance of the high-quality and sustainable development of engineering technology and engineering professionals. He said that the establishment of the Base provides solid support for the training of international engineering and technical professionals. He promised that Tsinghua University would conduct practical cooperation with CSE in deepening talent cultivation, promoting scientific and technological innovation, building platform networks and other fields by fully leveraging its disciplinary advantages and resources in the international cooperation network, and strive to build a new paradigm for scientific and technological innovation and education training in China, Indonesia, and even the world.
Speaking highly of the successful establishment of the Base, H.E. Mr. Eric Thohir said Tsinghua University has led to a critical moment for promoting friendly cooperation between China and Indonesia, especially in promoting engineer training, partnership building, education construction, talent development, and Southeast Asian exchanges, which is particularly important for Indonesia, a country with a population of 273 million and tremendous demographic dividends. With a hope of becoming the center for technology and sustainable development in Southeast Asia, Indonesia believes its cooperation with China is crucial for achieving this vision as it will not only foster bilateral cooperation in the training of regional and international engineering professionals, but also help create a better future for Indonesia.
H.E. Mr. HE Junke first expressed gratitude to all concerned parties who have made contributions to the construction of the Base. He said that the people in China and South East Asian countries have been enjoying a long-standing relationship, and particularly, China-Indonesia cooperation has yielded substantial results in fields such as communication and engineering, transportation, agriculture, and fishery over the past decade since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward. Under the high attention of the leaders of both countries, the two sides have entered a new stage of cooperation in a broader range, in which technology becomes the most important factor in improving productivity and implies great potential of cooperation. According to the consensus reached by the two countries, the future bilateral cooperation will focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, energy, minerals, transportation, communication, and agriculture, which require the support of tens of millions of technical professionals. China has over 40 million engineering personnel and CSE plays a key role in connecting them, thus having enormous potential for talent exchanges with Indonesia in future cooperation. As a top university in China, Tsinghua University possesses strong capabilities in scientific research, and particularly in the cultivation and education of high-level talents. By identifying future demands, the Base is established to lay a foundation for future China-Indonesia and China-ASEAN cooperation on a larger scale. CAST will fully support CSE’s efforts in achieving better results. At last, H.E. Mr. HE expressed his recognition of the achievements made by CAST and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia and his expectation that the two sides would continue enhancing the well-being of the people of both countries under the guidance of the MoU signed between the two parties.
Mr. WANG Kun, general manager of China Railway Group for the Jakarta-Bandung HSR Project, stated that the Base’s establishment not only marks the founding of an institution, but also represents a commitment to cultivating outstanding talents, promoting talent development, and encouraging engineering professionals to continuously pursue professional knowledge and skills. The Base’s construction in Bali also has far-reaching significance as it signifies the establishment of a close cooperative relationship between China and Indonesia and plays an important part in deepening bilateral cooperation through facilitating domestic and international exchanges in engineering. Mr. WANG also shared his understanding of the spirit of engineers and expressed the hope that Tsinghua SEA would serve as a lighthouse pointing the way for engineers in South Asia, helping them improve their professional capacity and broaden their horizons in order to adapt to the rapidly changes in technological development.
H E. Tantowi Yahya stated that the establishment of the Base represented a major milestone for the progress and development of China and Indonesia in the field of engineering and technology. He expressed gratitude to Tsinghua University, CAST, and CSE for their tremendous contributions in promoting global progress in the field of engineering science. Since the purpose of the Base perfectly aligns with Indonesia’s key objectives of cultivating engineering and technical professionals, it creates a favorable environment for regional and international cooperation among engineering talents and technical experts. He called on the attending guests and all parties to jointly seek chances to establish cooperative partnerships based on the development plan of the Base, in order to build a future with innovation, cooperation, and sustainable development.
In the presence of all guests, H.E. Mr. HE Junke, H.E. Mr. Eric Thohir, Mr. ZHU Xinglong, Prof. LI Luming, Ms. Cherie Nursalim, and Mr. LIU Zhen unveiled the Base.
Its establishment is poised to become a new starting point for promoting China-Indonesia cooperation and talent exchanges in the field of science and technology, and contribute to technological innovation and economic development in both countries.
Under the initiative of CAST, CSE was jointly established on March 18, 2021 by a total of 82 entities, of which there are national societies, local engineering societies, universities and colleges, and enterprises. Tsinghua University is one of those entities and has been designated as its standing director unit.
