The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) celebrated its 50th anniversary Monday morning in Beijing. Based in Bangkok, Thailand, AIT is one of Asia's top postgraduate institutes of engineering, technology, management and sustainable development.

"Over its half-century history as a leading independent regional developmental postgraduate institution, AIT has enjoyed a long association and partnership with China in many areas," said Dr. Tej Bunnag, Thailand's former minister of foreign affairs and current chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees.

Dr. Tej Bunnag announces that AIT will very soon be opening a new center in China. [China.org.cn]

The Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges (DICE), under the Ministry of Education in China, has supported over 70 scholarships for Chinese students to earn postgraduate degrees at AIT in Thailand.

"AIT will very soon be opening a new center in China, in addition to the AIT centers already established in Vietnam and Indonesia, for closer cooperation and intensive exchange of knowledge between Thailand and China," announced Dr. Tej Bunnag.

According to Professor Said Irandoust, president of AIT, this center will primarily focus on the capacity-building needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas of China.

Professor Said Irandoust, president of AIT, introduces the present and future development of AIT at a press conference in Beijing. [China.org.cn]

"Some of the great challenges for our region, such as natural disasters, climate change and sustainable development, have no boundary," added Dr. Tej Bunnag. "These are not issues of any one country in particular. Rather, they are the challenges of the entire world. To cope with them, international cooperation is definitely important.

"Therefore, AIT looks forward to even more intensive collaboration between Asian countries, China in particular."

At a press conference, Tao Xiping, president of the Chinese Association for Non-government Education, highlighted the educational collaboration between Chinese universities and their counterparts in ASEAN countries.

Tao Xiping, president of the Chinese Association for Non-government Education, highlights the educational collaboration between Chinese universities and their counterparts in ASEAN countries. [China.org.cn]

"Since 2008, China has signed a series of agreements with ASEAN countries to mutually authenticate academic certifications and degrees, which has promoted mutual cooperation and sustainable development in this region," said Tao.

"Nowadays, student exchange has become the core of educational cooperation. Therefore, the Chinese government has constantly offered scholarships for Chinese students to study abroad," added Tao.

At present, 19 students from China are enrolled at AIT in Thailand, including two through scholarships from DICE. A total of 701 Chinese nationals have graduated from AIT. Many graduates have assumed significant governmental, non-governmental and private sector positions, and at all levels of Chinese society, including Yu Xiaogang, the 2009 Ramon Magsaysay laureate.

Dubbed Asia's Nobel Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is given to persons – regardless of race, nationality, creed or gender – who address issues of human development in Asia with courage and creativity, and in doing so have made contributions which have transformed their societies for the better.

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