The Opening ceremony of the 66th IKCEST Training Programme for Silk Road Engineering Science and Technology Development was held in Rangsit University of Thailand on the morning of Nov. 19th, 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 Rangsit Universities, and was organized by IKCEST Silk Road Training Base. Dr. Chitriya Pinthong, Vice President of Rangsit University, Director Song Ruoyun, Head of Education Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Thailand, Luo Tieying, President of Thai Alumni Association of China’s Universities, Di Dehai, Dean of the School of Continuing Education of Xi’an Jiaotong University, and Tianfeng, Professor of the Faculty of Electronic and Information Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University, attended the opening ceremony. Over 200 students from Rangsit University and other universities in Thailand registered for the workshop.

      Dr. Chitriya Pinthong gave a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. She expressed her warm welcome to the arrival of the team from IKCEST Silk Road Training Base. She hoped that students have in-depth interactions and exchange of ideas with teachers coming from afar in class to promote the joint building and sharing of educational resources between the two universities.

       In her speech, Director Song Ruoyun said that Xi’an Jiaotong Univesity is on the list of Double First-Class University and mainly focuses on science and engineering and owns China’s most cutting-edge theoretical and practical knowledge. She said that where there are strong technologies, there is a strong country. She hoped that students have a deeper understanding of AI, Big Data etc, and learn a lot from this training. She also mentioned that Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Thailand in early November marked a new level of friendship between the two countries. She hoped that China and Thailand  take this as an opportunity to deepen their educational cooperation and other humanities cooperation so as to make China-Thailand relationship become even closer to each other.

      Di Dehai said in his speech that the cooperation between Xi’an Jiaotong University and Rangsit University last year is the first attempt of educational cooperation and also an important attempt to train international talents. For the visit this year, he hoped to continue to promote the sharing of excellent educational resources between two universities. He also hoped that both Xi’an Jiaotong University and Rangsit University continue playing the guiding roles in providing better service to the whole society and further strengthening the development of technology, education, culture, economy and other fields in Thailand and China.

       In her speech at the opening ceremony, Luo Tieying mentioned the visit to Xi’an Jiaotong University in July this year. She said that a series of lectures and entrepreneur symposiums organized by IKCEST Silk Road Training Base during the visit enabled participants acquire a deeper understanding of the latest cutting-edge science and technology knowledge in China and Chinese enterprises. She believed that trainees would also have a deeper understanding of China from this training.

      At the opening ceremony, witnessed by students and teachers, leaders attending the opening ceremony presented gifts to each other.

       As the second in-depth cooperation among Xi’an Jiaotong University, IKCEST Silk Road Training Base and Rangsit University of Thailand, this training made great contributions to the knowledge imparting and talents training from Xi’an Jiaotong University, which also marked a solid step for Xi’an Jiaotong University and Rangsit University of Thailand in terms of in-depth educational cooperation.

      Outstanding teachers from Xi’an Jiaotong University gave 8 lectures on the topics of Big Data Platform and Technical Support, Application of Lightweight and Ultralight Materials and Structures in Aerospace Engineering, State-of-Art and Perspectives of Industrial Catalysis, 3D Printing Intelligent Composite, Renewable Energy and Smart Grid, The Research Progress of Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage Technology, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, and Driverless Car. The clear and vivid lecturing and examples made the topic deep-going but easy to understand. The students benefited a lot from it and had active discussion with the teacher after the lectures.

       Up till recently, 66 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. As an important mission of the IKCEST Silk Road Training Base, this training programme plays an important role in cultivating talents and promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. In the Meanwhile, it also made important contributions to the promotion of cultural, scientific, technological and educational exchanges as well as the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.