Guangxi Minzu University and its President Xie Shangguo receive the Friendship Medal from the Lao government. [Photo/China News Service]

Guangxi Minzu University – located in Nanning city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region – was recently awarded the Friendship Medal by the government of Laos, as was its President Xie Shangguo, the university announced on Nov 10.

Of particular note was the fact that the medals were the first of their kind awarded to a foreign university and its president by the Lao authorities.

This was widely said to recognize the important role and contributions of the university and Xie in talent cultivation and strengthening cooperation and exchanges between Laos and China over the past 10 years – from 2012 to 2022.

As an important window and platform for people and exchanges between China and the ASEAN regional bloc of countries in the region, the university has built a complete talent cultivation system.

It includes undergraduate, master's degree and doctorate programs – giving the university a wide international influence in the ASEAN member countries.

To date, the university has admitted nearly 23,000 international students from 83 countries and regions, including 4,634 from Laos. It has also sent 360 Chinese students to study in Laos.

In 2010, the university established a Confucius Institute with the National University of Laos and has sent 22 Chinese teachers and 132 Chinese language teaching volunteers to teach at the institute. To date, the Confucius Institute has enrolled 46,300 students.

It has also established cooperation and exchange relationships with six Lao government agencies, universities and research institutions – carrying out substantive work in talent cultivation, student and faculty exchanges and research collaboration.