The China-Southeast Asia Forum on Higher Education and Industry Cooperation 2026 took place from October 3rd to October 4th, 2026, hosted in Bali, Indonesia. The high-level gathering brought together university leaders, government officials, and industry executives from China and Southeast Asian nations to foster cross-border academic collaboration, technological innovation, and sustainable regional development.
The forum festivities commenced on the afternoon and evening of October 3rd with a rich welcoming program and gala dinner hosted at the Sira Village. Following an afternoon island tour for international delegates, guests gathered at the Sunset Mandala stage for a welcoming speech by Ambassador Tantowi Yahya, President of United in Diversity. The evening featured a cultural performance featuring Chinese Barongsai and Balinese Barong that symbolizes the friendship and cultural synergy between China and Indonesia. Marking the arrival of Prof. Qiu Yong, organizers unrolled a ceremonial flag from the second floor to honor the delegation leaders. Following the performances at Sunset Mandala, attendees transitioned to the Sira Rooftop for an official networking dinner accompanied by live musical performances, providing an informal setting for academic and industry leaders to connect, exchange ideas, and build cross-border partnerships prior to the main forum.
The main forum convened on October 4th at the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center, opening with remarks by Yang Bin, Vice Chancellor of the Tsinghua University Council and Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees, Tsinghua Southeast Asia Foundation. Afterwards opening speeches were delivered by Qiu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, Chairman of Tsinghua University Council, and Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by H.E. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chairman of the National Economic Council of the Republic of Indonesia. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Ali Murtopo Simbolon, Deputy for Trade and Digital Economy, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Acting Secretary General of the National Council for Special Economic Zones, followed by Zhang Zhisheng, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Denpasar, Zhou Hongwen, Executive Director of Envision Energy, and Bai Zhen, Deputy Director General of Guizhou Provincial Department of Education,
Deputy Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Organizing Committee of China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. A major milestone of the morning session was the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing and unveiling ceremony. This session included the MoU Signages of Tsinghua University and Institut Teknologi Del (IT Del), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Zhejiang and IPB University, United in Diversity Foundation (UID) and Knowledge Innovation Technology Alliance (KITA). The session was followed by unveiling ceremonies of the Envision Indonesia Sustainable Development Center, Tsinghua University and the Capsule Dormitory at the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center. The afternoon featured two strategic higher education roundtables and three thematic academic sessions in the Awan Auditorium. Discussions spanned clean energy, carbon neutrality, financial innovation, venture capital, and health and biotechnology collaborations, led by global academic and industry experts. The multi-day gathering concluded with formal closing remarks, cementing the forum’s role as a platform for long-term regional cooperation