On Tuesday, February 18th, 2025, Associate Professor Dr. Supakorn Pongbangpho, the President of the University of Phayao, assigned Assistant Professor Dr. Chonthida Thephinlap, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, to represent the university at the 4th Thai-Yunnan Education Conference, celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations. The conference took place at the Kham Mok Luang Conference Room, located in the M-Square Building at Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai.
The conference, held under the theme of "The Way Forward: Shaping the Future of Thai-Yunnan Education," took place from February 18th-19th, 2025. It was attended by over 150 participants, including executives and faculty members from leading universities in Thailand and Yunnan, representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education Science, Research and Innovation, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, and members of the media. This was the first time the conference was hosted in Thailand, with Chiang Rai serving as a gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion and having longstanding ties with China. The event also commemorated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China.
The conference covered five main topics: education policy and collaboration, green development and sustainability, medicine and public health, science and technology, and language and culture. In addition, there were keynote speeches by Professor Dr. Vanchai Sirichana, Chairman of the Mae Fah Luang University Council, on the topic of "Teacher Development in a Changing Context," and Mr. Yin Xiangyang, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party at Kunming Medical University. Attendees also had the opportunity to visit the Herbal Innovation Center, SMEs Cosmetics Center, Mae Fah Luang University Hospital, and the Sirindhorn Chinese Language and Culture Center. A special panel discussion titled "The Value of Thai-Chinese Education Cooperation in Advancing Human Capacity Development and Shared Growth" brought together university executives, business leaders, and representatives from the Chinese Student Association in Thailand to exchange perspectives on human resource development and mutual growth.
The University of Phayao is dedicated to promoting international academic partnerships, and attending this conference presents a valuable opportunity to enhance educational connections between Thailand and Yunnan. Our goal is to achieve sustainable progress in education and research through this collaboration