Khon Kaen, January 5, 2024 — Mekong Institute (MI) Executive Director, Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)’s Dean of Law, Prof. Xigen Wang, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in academic and people-to-people exchange. The agreement opens the way for a broader and deeper engagement in pooling both parties’ expertise and best practices to implement joint activities such as study visits, training workshops, and internship program.

“I am very pleased that Mekong Institute and Huazhong University of Science and Technology have agreed to enhance our partnership through today’s signing of MOU.,” said Mr. Suriyan. “It is an important initiative which will enable us to leverage our institutions’ comparative advantage to serve the people of the Greater Mekong Subregion.”

One of the highlights of the MOU signing ceremony was presentations by HUST’s delegates on researches relevant to Lancang-Mekong cooperation. The presentations touched upon the issues of migration in GMS; transboundary water; grassroots governance at border regions; and cross-border trade.

In addition, representatives from the two sides were present during the signing ceremony, including Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Program Director, Trade & Investment Facilitation of MI.

MI is an intergovernmental organization based in Khon Kaen, Thailand, mandated to promote regional cooperation and integration through capacity building program. The institute serves the countries of the GMS, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam and China’s Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Located in Wuhan, Hubei,  HUST is one of P. R. China’s most prestigious and selective universities and ranked among the country’s top-tier universities.