Building a China-ASEAN Skills Talent Community | China POCY Group Delegation Invited to the China-ASEAN Entrepreneurs Summit

On September 1, 2026, the China-ASEAN Entrepreneurs Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Taking place at a pivotal moment — marking the fifth anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the implementation of the upgraded China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 Protocol — the summit brought together political and business leaders, industry experts, and innovative enterprise representatives from China and ASEAN countries. Participants engaged in in-depth dialogue on regional industrial and supply chain synergy, digital and green transformation, and the two-way empowerment of trade, economy, and people-to-people exchanges, exploring new pathways for high-quality and open China-ASEAN cooperation.

As a representative of China‘s internationalized vocational education, Ms. Ma Jia, General Manager of the Education Business Division of China POCY Group, together with Ms. Tong Yaoyao, Director of the International Cooperation Office of Caofeidian College of Technology, and Mr. Wu Haoyang, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Office of Tangshan Maritime Institute, attended the summit. During the enterprise roadshow session, Ms. Ma shared POCY Group‘s exploration and practical achievements in building a regionalized skills talent cultivation system for ASEAN, leveraging the “China Craftsman Valley “international industry-education integration platform.

H.E. Dr. Heng Vuthy, President of the Cambodian National Trade and Investment Promotion Federation (CamTIPA), noted that this event serves as a vital bridge connecting strategic visions, bringing together business leaders, investors, and partner institutions to discuss shared aspirations, potential, and new opportunities. He expressed confidence that through the discussions, exchanges, and partnerships forged at the summit, all parties would be able to benefit from potential areas of cooperation and contribute to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable national economic growth.

H.E. Chea Vuthy, Secretary-General of the Investment Committee of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), stated that since the establishment of formal cooperative relations in 1999, China and ASEAN have built mutual trust and continued to deepen cooperation across various sectors. The current Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement has brought new policy dividends to bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Cambodia warmly welcomes enterprises from China and other countries to expand investment across various sectors, jointly promoting higher-quality regional economic development.

From “Bringing In“ to “Going Out“: POCY Group‘s New Narrative for China-ASEAN Vocational Education

During the roadshow session, Ms. Ma Jia, grounded in the realities of regional industrial development, articulated the foundational value of vocational education in cross-border industrial chain development. She introduced that China POCY Group, with “China Craftsman Valley“ as its core platform, has built an international industry-education integration ecosystem characterized by “100+ industry association collaborations, 1,000+ school partnerships, 10,000+ enterprise connections, 100,000+ teacher empowerment, and 1,000,000+ talent training.“ She particularly highlighted that the Group‘s China Craftsman Valley institutions leverage the unique advantage of being designated UNESCO “World Vocational Education Training Bases.“ In recent years, they have continuously deepened practical cooperation with ASEAN countries — from jointly launching the China-ASEAN Joint Initiative on International Digital Talent Development, to hosting the China-Southeast Asia TVET Management Capacity Development Workshop, to promoting “Chinese Language + Vocational Skills“ training programs benefiting ASEAN youth. POCY Group is weaving a cross-border skills talent development network with education as the connecting thread.

From “Hard Connectivity“ to “Soft Connectivity“: A New Digital Skills Ecosystem for China-ASEAN

The construction of the China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 requires not only “hard connectivity“ of infrastructure but also “soft connectivity“ of skills standards and talent development.

During the summit, the POCY Group delegation engaged in in-depth exchanges with multiple ASEAN business associations and enterprises, focusing on key areas such as intelligent manufacturing, the digital economy, and green and low-carbon development. Multiple cooperation consensus were reached on building digital skills joint training platforms.

Notably, POCY Group is actively exploring ways to integrate China‘s industry-education integration practices with ASEAN‘s local industrial needs, creating innovative models tailored to the ASEAN industrial environment. Leveraging the China Craftsman Valley International Industry-Education Alliance, in collaboration with UNESCO and other international organizations, the Group is inviting ASEAN educational institutions and industry partners to jointly build a multilateral educational innovation cooperation network, promoting joint curriculum development, collaborative standards research, and mutual recognition of outcomes, thereby helping to address the regional skills supply-demand mismatch.

From “Talent Chains“ to “Community“: A New China-ASEAN Cooperation Answer for the Future

In an era when the digital economy is surging forward, the connectivity of skills is the connectivity of hearts and the connectivity of the future.

At this new starting point of deepening the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, China POCY Group will continue to leverage the “China Craftsman Valley“ platform, transforming the skills talent development experience accumulated over more than two decades into a regional public good. Through practical industry-education integration cooperation, the Group is injecting sustained momentum into building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

From digital skills online classrooms to hands-on industry-education workshops, China POCY Group is proving through concrete action that when skills become a shared language and talent becomes shared wealth, the China-ASEAN community with a shared future gains its strongest foundation. This path has no end — only ever-new beginnings. And POCY Group is committed to being the most steadfast paving stone on this journey.

H.E. Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice Chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), met with the delegation.