The ASEAN-China Symposium on Built Environment Renewal and Smart Energy Development was successfully held on July 27, 2025, in Guiyang, Guizhou Province. The symposium, as an integral part of the 2025 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, was hosted by Tianjin University, organized by Guizhou University and Guiyang University, and supported by the ASEAN-China Centre and the Organizing Committee of the China-AESAN Education Cooperation Week. The Office of International Cooperation, the School of Architecture, the Tianjin Key Laboratory of Built Environment and Energy, and the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Tianjin University coordinated the symposium.
Distinguished guests delivering addresses at the symposium included Chai Liyuan, President of Tianjin University; Yu Changxue, Director of the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange; Liu Xiao, Deputy Director of the Education, Culture and Tourism Division of the ASEAN-China Centre; Choltis Dhirathiti, Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED); Mohd Azlan Bin Abu Bakar, Counsellor of the Embassy of Malaysia in China; Song Bao’an, President of Guizhou University; and Fan Tiegang, President of Guiyang University. The symposium was also attended by diplomatic officials from Southeast Asian embassies in China, such as Syarifah Nurolazan Shaikh Ahmad, First Secretary of the Embassy of Malaysia; Visonnavong Nittaya, First Secretary of the Embassy of Laos; Lee Wei Ying, First Secretary of the Embassy of Singapore; and Maria May-I Lactao Fabros, Second Secretary and Consul of the Embassy of the Philippines.The opening ceremony was presided over by Zheng Gang, Vice President of Tianjin University, while the keynote session was hosted by Xiao Songshan, Assistant President of Tianjin University.
Chai Liyuan first extended a warm welcome to the guests on behalf of Tianjin University—the host and also the Chinese permanent secretariat of the ASEAN-China Network for Cooperation and Exchange among Engineering and Technology Universities (ACNET-EngTech). He provided a brief overview of the university’s recent advancements in the fields of built environment renewal and smart energy, as well as the achievements of ACNET-EngTech. He further proposed deepening international cooperation in innovative talent cultivation, scientific research innovation, and the sharing of research outcomes, aiming to contribute to the establishment of an ASEAN-China engineering education community.
Yu Changxue emphasized that the continuous deepening of scientific and educational cooperation between China and ASEAN has injected strong momentum into regional sustainable development and the series of forums hosted by Tianjin University have significantly enriched the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. Regarding enhancing cooperation in built environment renewal and smart energy, he proposed strengthening policy coordination and technical exchanges, promoting deeper integration of industry, academia, research, and application, prioritizing talent development and capacity building, and reinforcing the construction of international cooperation networks.
Liu Xiao elaborated on the international context and significant implications of the topics related to built environment renewal and smart energy development, emphasizing that the collaborative projects undertaken by ACNET-EngTech in these fields have contributed academic expertise to building a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable ASEAN-China community, and also to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She further affirmed that the ASEAN-China Centre will continue to promote robust cooperation between higher education institutions and research organizations in China and ASEAN member states.
Choltis Dhirathiti provided a brief introduction to the vision, mission, and practices of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED). He expressed firm belief that higher education serves as a critical pillar for achieving sustainable development and regional integration. He acknowledged that ACNET-EngTech has evolved into a cornerstone of educational collaboration between China and ASEAN. To support the broader goals of China-ASEAN cooperation, he advocated for enhanced knowledge sharing, joint development of solutions, and the strengthening of partnerships.
Mohd Azlan Bin Abu Bakar outlined ASEAN’s vision for sustainable urbanization and smart energy, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with China as a strategic pillar for achieving this vision. He highlighted Malaysia’s initiatives and current practices, noting the widespread disparities among ASEAN member states in areas such as governance, policies, standards, and capacities. To enhance regional synergy, he proposed deepening bilateral cooperation in technological innovation, green finance, and cultural exchanges. He further elaborated on Malaysia’s action plans and practical measures, underscoring the persistent gaps within ASEAN in governance, policy alignment, standardization, and capacity building. He called for strengthened China-ASEAN collaboration in technological innovation, green finance, and cultural exchanges to foster greater regional coordination.
Song Bao’an provided an overview of Guizhou University’s historical development and institutional progress, sharing its longstanding connection with the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week and highlighting Guizhou Province’s key industrial priorities. He expressed his anticipation that the high-level symposium organized by ACNET-EngTech would generate innovative ideas and cutting-edge solutions for integrating smart technologies with the preservation of ancient architecture in Guizhou, as well as for building more intelligent, flexible, and clean regional energy systems.
Fan Tiegang stated that Guiyang University has been actively expanding its efforts in recent years in fields such as urban and rural planning, environmental ecology, digital technology, and information technology, striving to contribute to regional green development. He expressed gratitude for the counterpart support provided by Tianjin University and conveyed his anticipation for establishing closer and more practical collaborative relationships with ASEAN institutions, research organizations, and industries to jointly writing a new chapter in educational exchange and technological cooperation between China and ASEAN.
Following the opening speeches, two distinguished invited speakers delivered keynote speeches on relevant themes. Professor Zhao Xudong, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Member of Academia Europaea, presented on “Initiatives in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Researches”. Professor Kamaruzzaman Sopian, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and Chair of the Energy Committee, delivered a speech titled “Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) Solar Collector Innovations for Sustainable Building Integration”.
The afternoon parallel session, “Built Environment Renewal and Sustainable Energy Utilization”, was hosted by Professor Yang Wei, Vice Dean of School of Architecture at Tianjin University. Professor Zhang Xinnan, Executive Vice Dean of the school, delivered the opening speech. Then, Rattapong Angkasith, Assistant Professor and Vice Dean of Faculty of Architecture at Chiang Mai University (Thailand); Huang Jianxiang, Tenured Associate Professor at Tsinghua University Shenzhen International Graduate School; Zhou Li, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Guizhou University; Riccardo Talami, Research Programme Manager at the Energy Research Institute of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Ding Yan, Associate Professor and Distinguished Researcher at Tianjin University; Tarnrawee Ngamsiriudom, lecturer at the Department of Architecture of Chulalongkorn University (Thailand); and Yang Wei, Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Architecture at Tianjin University delivered academic reports in sequence.
The distinguished guests of the session delivered academic reports on the themes of “Toward Regenerative Design and Built Environment Renewal: Integrating Local Wisdom and Smart Energy Strategies in Northern Thailand”; “Urban Density and Carbon Emission: Street-Block Scale Evidence from Hong Kong”; “Indoor Thermal Environment and Low-Carbon Retrofitting of Traditional. Chinese Timber Residential Houses”; “Cooling Singapore through Passive Design for Energy and Carbon Efficiency”; “Building Thermal Environment Control based on Occupant Behavior Intention Prediction”; “Integrating Urban Heat Island Mitigation into Built Environment Strategies for CBD Renewal: A Case Study of Bangkok, Thailand”; and “R-CELLS Solar House Prototype: Building and Energy System Design Targeting at Zero Life Cycle Carbon Emissions”. These discussions effectively advanced educational and scientific research cooperation in related fields among ASEAN nations. Sustainable Energy Utilization is a top priority for global development and cooperation under the framework of the United Nations. Meanwhile, Built Environment Renewal is one of the key areas for achieving Sustainable Energy Utilization. Both China and ASEAN attach great importance to Built Environment Renewal and Sustainable Energy Utilization, which has become a key field of cooperation between the two sides,and universities stand at the forefront of research on Urban Renewal and Sustainable Energy Utilization. The ASEAN-China Centre, as an intergovernmental organization, is committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in this field. As a lead member institution of ACNET-EngTech, Tianjin University has made contributions to the building of a more innovative, inclusive and sustainable ASEAN-China community by organizing various academic activities.
