On May 16, the Sustainable Development Alliance (SDA), initiated by Nghe An University of Vietnam with GXU serving as the chair institution, was established in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, Vietnam. Zhao Shuangliang, Vice President of GXU, attended the inauguration ceremony and, on behalf of the university, signed the MOU for the alliance together with Nghe An University (Vietnam), Udon Thani Rajabhat University and Mahasarakham Rajabhat University (Thailand), and Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology and Pangasinan State University (Philippines).

The alliance brings together universities from China, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. It is another major international cooperation platform our university has built in the ASEAN region, following the China–ASEAN Education-Industry Alliance of Agriculture and Forestry and the China–ASEAN University Think Tank Network. The SDA is a transnational education and research community based on the development of artificial intelligence and digital education. Its establishment aims to strengthen educational connectivity between China and key ASEAN countries and to build a long-term cooperation mechanism for regional universities in areas such as academic standards, talent cultivation, scientific research and innovation, and the transformation of research outcomes. With“academic internationalization, high-level research, service to local development, and building a regional brand”as its core directions, the alliance will carry out in-depth collaboration in areas including benchmarking against international accreditation standards, joint scientific research, faculty and student exchanges, credit recognition, dual-degree programs, and the establishment of international journals. It will focus on collaborative innovation in fields such as the digital economy, modern agriculture, climate change, education governance, and renewable energy, supporting sustainable development and the construction of high-quality education systems in the ASEAN region.

In recent years, GXU has established in-depth cooperative relationships with more than 90 universities in ASEAN, forming a cooperation pattern featuring “Vietnam and Thailand as dual cores, supported by multiple nodes and providing comprehensive coverage.”The signing of this alliance marks an important achievement in GXU’s efforts to deepen cooperation with Vietnam and expand its cooperation network across ASEAN. Taking the establishment of the alliance as a new starting point, GXU will continue to leverage its geographical and disciplinary advantages in engaging with ASEAN. Closely aligning with the spirit of the newly released China–Vietnam Artificial Intelligence and Automation Cooperation Initiative (Hanoi Consensus), it will prioritize cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital economy, smart education, and intelligent manufacturing, continuously expanding cooperation areas, innovating cooperation models, and enhancing the level of collaboration, thereby contributing greater strength to advancing open educational cooperation between China and ASEAN and building a closer China–ASEAN educational community.

An international academic symposium on the digital transformation of higher education and artificial intelligence was held prior to the alliance's founding ceremony. Zhao Shuangliang delivered a keynote report at the conference, sharing GXU's practical achievements in education digitalization, artificial intelligence discipline development, and international industry–education integration. Participating experts engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as AI-empowered higher education, joint development of cross-border digital education resources, and collaborative cultivation of interdisciplinary talent, building consensus for China–ASEAN universities to address challenges in digital development and deepen cooperation in smart education, and laying the foundation for subsequent academic collaboration and research implementation within the SDA.