Hohai University hosted the delegation of Scholars on Water Resources Management and Small Hydropower Development along Belt and Road Countries on Jun 27, 2017. A young man, Mr. Inthila TASAKETH, asked many questions and impressed me a lot by his fluent English. I was told he came from Laos and even had a Chinese name：MAO Jiacheng. I extended my warmest welcome and unexpectedly met him again the next year at an interview for the admission of Master Program on Youth Talent for Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation(LMC Program). He was enrolled as a master student under the discipline of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering sponsored by the Chinese Government and registered at Hohai University in Sep 2018, as a member of the second batch of candidates who benefited from the LMC Program. Mr. Inthila TASAKETH graduated with an excellent academic performance in Jun 2020, one year in advance and continued to pursue his doctoral degree at Hohai University. As an employee of Electricite du Laos (EDL), he got fast promotion while studying the online courses amid the pandemic. He was so thrilled to share the good news. I feel delighted to witness his growth as a teacher and friend.

Mao Jiacheng is one of the 100 youth talents who have benefited from the LMC Program. As the director for international students enrollment at the University, I’ve witnessed 4 groups of young people, who have strong academic and practical ability, with the momentum of studying in China for a better future, realize their dreams by diligence and complete the mission of prospering the country through water resources management from 2017 to 2020. Among them are government officials, university students, enterprise managers, and scientific researchers.

They share the common prospective of improving the well-being of the people in the Mekong countries and learn from China’s advanced experiences in water resources management, flood control, water conservancy construction, etc. They participate actively in various cultural exchange activities and devote themselves to the local economic and social development after returning to their countries. They’re the best practitioners in the spirit of “mastering the Chinese technology, telling Chinese stories and establishing friendship bridges”. The University considers high quality cultivation as the target of international education, coordinated with the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center, to promote this program with relevant Chinese Embassies/Consulates abroad, relevant foreign Embassies/Consulates in China, overseas university partners, Chinese corporations abroad to attract top-notch candidates. The University made strict assessment on the qualifications and organized interviews for the candidates on the final name-list.

I still remembered in Sep 2017, when the first group of students sang a classic folk song “Tian Mimi” in Mandarin Chinese during the inauguration ceremony. Some of them even couldn’t spell their Chinese names at that time. The melodious tunes bonded the harmonious neighborhood originated from water and indicated the bright prospect of Lancang-Mekong cooperation. I’m deeply honored to make my contribution to the buliding a community with a shared future in the Lancang-Mekong countries.