On August 7-8, 1967, leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore held a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand and issued the Bangkok Declaration, declaring the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In 1975, China officially recognized ASEAN, which became a milestone event in improving bilateral relations. In November 1978, then Vice Premier of the State Council Deng Xiaoping visited Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, marking the first visit of a Chinese leader to ASEAN. Afterwards, China and ASEAN gradually eliminated their hostility towards each other, enhanced mutual understanding, and the relationship between ASEAN and China began to show a trend of easing.

On July 19, 1991, Qian Qichen, the then Chinese Foreign Minister, was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 24th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, marking the beginning of China's consultation and dialogue with ASEAN. This was China's first formal contact with ASEAN.

As the wheels of history turn,In 2003, China and ASEAN established a strategic partnership, and their relationship continued to develop and deepen.In 2009,China has become the largest trading partner of ASEAN, and ASEAN has also become China's largest trading partner.

Currently, China has manyEngaged in research institutions related to ASEAN, which are widely distributed in think tanks, universities, research institutes, and government departments, providing strong intellectual support for deepening the cooperation between China and ASEAN,Among these institutions, the ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology is the most prominent“temperament”The most uniqueOne of the institutions.

In this episode of Ningdian Interview, we inviteProfessor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Public Administration, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and director of the ASEAN Research Center at Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyHuang Dong, Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Researcher at the ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wang Jingchao, come together to understand why the ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology has taken a unique approach”The road.

Why was Huazhong University of Science and Technology establishedUnder what background or conditions was the ASEAN Research Center established?

Firstly, from a macro perspective of aligning with major national strategies,In 2013, the Central Committee put forward the "the Belt and Road" initiative. As a 985 university, our research work must closely connect and serve this major national strategy, focus on major issues of China ASEAN cooperation in the geopolitical context, and the establishment of the center can ensure that our academic contributions can meet the development needs at the national level.

Secondly, focusing on the regional level, especially in response to the high-level opening-up strategy being promoted in Hubei Province, the core goal is to create an economic highland for the inland new coastal areas. Considering the gap in international economic and trade cooperation between the central region and developed coastal areas in the past decade or even earlier. The establishment of our research center is also in response to this gap and actively promotes the new pattern of opening up to the outside world in inland areas.

Finally, from the perspective of the school's own development, Huazhong University of Science and Technology has established a strong academic exchange and cooperation foundation with European and American countries in the field of scientific research. Compared to this, the academic cooperation between our university and Southeast Asian countries is insufficient in both depth and breadth.In view of this, we realize the importance of expanding the global scientific and technological cooperation network, especially the necessity of strengthening cooperation with neighboring ASEAN countries.

Through think tank research, we aim to explore and open up new spaces for cooperation between relevant disciplines of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and universities and research institutions in Southeast Asian countries, further enriching and deepening our international cooperation network. This is also another important consideration for establishing the Huazhong University of Science and Technology ASEAN Research Center.

The ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology has established numerous institutions in China engaged in research related to ASEANWhat are the differences in temperament and what are the reasons for such differences?

After our sorting and analysis, we found that the current domestic think tank institutions targeting ASEAN mainly focus on traditional fields such as history, ethnicity, political parties, politics, culture, and language of ASEAN countries. However, with the rapid development of ASEAN countries and the continuous deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN, traditional research areas are no longer able to meet current needs, especially in emerging fields such as high technology and digital economy. Our research strength and output of achievements are relatively insufficient.

Given that Huazhong University of Science and Technology is a comprehensive university that integrates disciplines such as science, engineering, humanities, management, and medicine, and has significant advantages in the field of science and engineering, we believe it is necessary to explore new paths in ASEAN research by combining the school's characteristic disciplines, in order to form a think tank brand with Chinese characteristics.

Therefore, when establishing our research direction, we did not fully expand it, but instead focused on areas such as technological cooperation, energy and environment, climate change, and digital economy as our research priorities. These fields are not only closely related to the future development of ASEAN countries, but also the disciplinary advantages of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

We hope to provide intellectual support for the cooperation between China and ASEAN by conducting in-depth research on the current status, future cooperation potential, cooperation paths, mechanism design, and policy recommendations in these fields.

The ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology does not pursue comprehensive research coverage, but strives to form core competitiveness in several selected key areas.

You can feel that,The differentiation or core competitiveness of the ASEAN Research Center at Huazhong University of Science and Technology is moreHard core ", so specifically, what areas are we focusing on?

In recent years, in addition to engaging in relevant academic research, we have continuously held a series of international academic conferences, the most iconic of which is the annual conferenceofChina ASEAN Forum on Development and Governance. This forum has become our branded international academic exchange platform, and the core topics of recent forums have focused on cooperation between China and ASEAN in the fields of digital economy and digital governance.

The digital economy, as a current global trend, is naturally the focus of our attention and an essential area of cooperation between China and ASEAN. Simply put, the reasons are as follows:

Firstly, the cooperation between China and ASEAN in digital economy and digital governance is an indispensable component of the global digital ecosystem. Given the significant differences in the level of digital economy development and governance capabilities between the two sides, especially in ASEAN countries where there are many countries with weak digital infrastructure and lagging digital economy development, this has led to the existence of a digital divide. Therefore, our cooperation needs to be committed to assisting ASEAN countries in narrowing this gap from a global and bilateral governance perspective, and jointly promoting the balanced development of the global digital economy.

Secondly, the digital infrastructure construction in ASEAN countries is relatively lagging behind, providing vast market space for Chinese enterprises, especially digital enterprises. Against the backdrop of some Western countries attempting to block China and cut off China's high-tech industry chain, the market of over 600 million people in Southeast Asian countries will become an important battlefield for China's digital equipment, intelligent products, software outsourcing, and more to go global.

Furthermore, with the continuous growth of traditional trade between China and ASEAN, online transactions have also shown a thriving trend. The layout of top companies such as JD.com and Alibaba in ASEAN has injected strong momentum into the digital economy of ASEAN countries. The rise of online transactions not only promotes the diversification of bilateral trade, but also provides strong support for the development of digital economy in ASEAN countries, and increases digital well-being for the people of ASEAN countries.

Finally, I would like to emphasize the importance of collaboration in digital technology education. Southeast Asian countries have a large population of young people who are easily receptive to emerging digital technologies, but their digital education systems are not yet perfect and their digital education capabilities are weak. China has significant advantages in this regard, not only at the university level, but also with a complete set of disciplines; At the vocational education level, there are also many practical courses and training systems that are suitable. Through various methods such as course certification, scholarship programs, and joint training, we can provide high-quality digital technology education for young people in ASEAN countries. This not only cultivates localized talents for Chinese digital enterprises to operate overseas, but also helps young people in ASEAN countries improve their digital skills and achieve employment.

Therefore, our ASEAN Research Center has chosen to focus on the core issue of the digital economy, collaborate with various forces, and continue to make efforts in areas such as digital governance, digital infrastructure construction, online trade, and digital technology education. Together with universities and industry, we are exploring ways to cooperate with ASEAN countries.

From the research fields selected by the ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, it can be found that the center actually attaches great importance to and is already promoting the transformation and implementation of research results. This is also an important plan for the center's future development?

Yes, it can be understood that in the past few years, with the continuous deepening of the concept of think tank construction, an emerging concept has emerged——Action oriented think tanks are gradually receiving attention. This concept to some extent coincides with our work philosophy. The ASEAN Research Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology is committed to academic research and think tank construction, while actively seeking opportunities for cooperation with various parties, including local governments in China, relevant institutions of ASEAN countries, high-tech enterprises, education and training institutions, etc.

We firmly believe that as a think tank, we should not be limited to writing articles in a study, but should demonstrate strong action capabilities. This means that we need to proactively step out of the campus and establish close communication and cooperation mechanisms with government think tanks, top universities, and renowned scholars from ASEAN countries. Through this cross-border interaction, we can not only inject more practical elements into academic research, making research results more practical and down-to-earth, but also effectively promote bilateral and multi-level exchanges and cooperation, contributing wisdom and strength to regional development.

In short, we are willing to utilize our professional advantages and research resources, not only to provide decision-making consultation for local governments, but also to build cooperation bridges for high-tech enterprises, and to leverage the unique advantages of university think tanks in China ASEAN cooperation in public diplomacy. At the same time, we also look forward to exploring cooperation space in the fields of digital economy, digital governance, energy and environment through in-depth exchanges with ASEAN countries, and jointly addressing global challenges such as the digital divide and climate change.