On January 22, the Annual Working Conference of the China & South Africa Technical and Vocational Education Cooperation Alliance (CSATVECA) was held in Changzhou city, Jiangsu Province, in which the Chinese Council was established. Relevant leaders from Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Department of Vocational and Adult Education and China Centre for International People to People Exchange of Ministry of Education attended the conference, together with more than 180 people from 39 universities and 16 enterprises. YRCTI was elected as Executive Vice President, and President Zhu Yuhua was invited to deliver a speech on experience exchange.

Du Kewei, Director of the China Centre for International People to People Exchange of Ministry of Education, Li Xudong, Director of Division of Asian & African Affairs, Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of Ministry of Education, Yu Jie, researcher of Vocational and Adult Education the Ministry of Education, and Chi Yu, Deputy Director of the of Industry and Information Technology Department of Jiangsu, attended and addressed the opening ceremony. The charter of the Chinese Council of the Alliance, the list of members of the alliance and the list of directors were deliberated and passed in the conference. Meanwhile, the website of China & South Africa Technical and Vocational Education Cooperation Alliance and the official wechat account of “China-South Africa People to People Exchange” was officially launched.

Zhu Yuhua, with the title of “Dayu School Cultivating International Talents, Serving Belt and Road based on Cooperation between School and Enterprises”, shared YRCTI's international education experience and the exploration of overseas education. She said that Belt and Road has brought new opportunities to the internationalization of Higher Vocational Education in China and put forward new requirements. YRCTI will continue to implement the instructions of the central government regarding opening up to the outside world, deepen China-South Africa vocational education cooperation and the integration of production and education, and offer the scheme and wisdom of YRCTI to cultivate more international technical talents.

China & South Africa Technical and Vocational Education Cooperation Alliance was jointly  initiated and established by 58 units including China Centre for International People to People Exchange of Ministry of Education, Manufacturing Engineering and Related Service Sector Education and Training Authority (MerSETA) of Higher Education and Training Department of South Africa, and relevant government departments, colleges and enterprises of China and South Africa. The alliance and its related work have been included in the achievements in the education field of the China-South Africa high-level humanities exchange mechanism and the list of follow-up tasks in the education field of Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). It undertakes the important task of co-cultivating technical and skilled talents in China and South Africa.