From 20 to 22 November, Rector Zhong Weihe, together with Vice Rector Wang Lifei and Wei Qiu, Director of the Rector’s Office, represented Macau Millennium College (“MMC”) at the Asian University Presidents Forum (“AUPF”) 2025 and the 60th Anniversary Celebration Series of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (“GDUFS”). The delegation also participated—as a founding member institution—in the Inaugural Meeting of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area–Southeast Asia Think Tank Cooperation Alliance and the First Academic Symposium, among several other major events.

On the morning of 22 November, Rector Zhong Weihe attended the Council Meeting of the Asia Alliance University (“AAU”) as the representative of the council member institution. He participated in in-depth discussions on the AAU charter, management structure, rules of procedure, and development plan, and signed a cooperation agreement. He noted that AAU is a significant development for higher education in Asia, and globally, and will promote deep integration among universities in areas such as shared teaching resources, joint curriculum development, research collaboration, and talent cultivation. This will provide Asian wisdom and solutions for the digital and intelligent transformation of global education.

On the afternoon of 21 November, Vice Rector Wang Lifei delivered a keynote speech at the forum’s thematic salon session on “University-Industry Integration and International Cooperation”. He pointed out that, amid profound global transformations in industry and higher education, university–enterprise integration and international cooperation have become the dual engines for universities to fulfil their educational mission. Drawing on MMC’s experiences, he shared practical insights into building industry–education integration mechanisms and developing competency-based, cross-cultural curricula in universities.

On 22 November, during the signing ceremony for the cooperation agreement, Wei Qiu, on behalf of MMC, signed memorandums of understanding with the University of Indonesia and the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation, Malaysia. Under the agreements, deep cooperation will be carried out in areas such as faculty exchange, student exchange, joint research projects, and the transformation of academic achievements. The signing marks a further extension of MMC’s international cooperation network into Southeast Asia, injecting new momentum into the educational collaboration between Macau and Southeast Asian countries.

The AUPF is an important platform for exchange in the field of higher education in Asia. Its predecessor, the “China-Thailand University Presidents Forum”, originated in 2001 through the joint initiative of GDUFS, Srinakharinwirot University, and Siam University. In 2002, the participating institutions formulated the Constitution of China–Thailand Higher Education Cooperation Forum. The following year, with the unanimous agreement of the participating university presidents, the forum was officially renamed the Asian University Presidents Forum, and the constitution was updated accordingly. That year, the forum’s launch attracted representatives from six Asian countries and regions, marking the beginning of its regional influence. Since its establishment, the forum has gradually developed into an effective mechanism for promoting cooperation among Asian universities, facilitating the sharing of educational experiences, and innovating educational mechanisms. It has played an active role in raising the overall standard of higher education in Asia and in cultivating high-calibre, globally minded talent.