The issue of agriculture, rural area and farmers is a fundamental issue related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. If we want to protect the interests of small-scale farmers, improve the mechanism of interest connection, and allow small-scale farmers to enter into large-scale management and modern production to share agricultural modernization results through various channels and methods, then organization and construction of new agricultural management entities such as cooperatives are the key.

On the morning of May 28th, the 2018 Cooperative Education High-end Forum was ceremoniously held in Qingdao Agricultural University (QAU). Experts, scholars and cooperative practitioners from the United States, Britain, Japan, Korea, Israel, other countries and Taiwan regions were invited to make a special report and discussion on the Formation and Development of Cooperative Education, which provides strong theoretical support and model for the healthy and rapid development of cooperatives in China in the future. The theme of this forum is the formation and development of cooperative education.

The forum was jointly sponsored by the International Association of Agricultural and Rural Cooperative Economics, the International Cooperative Education Association, and the International ALLCOOP Cooperative Economic Revitalization Alliance. It was hosted by the College of Economic (Cooperative) of Qingdao Agricultural University and cooperated by Guangzhou ZBG Education Co., Ltd. 

Song Xiyun and Mu Shaoyan, President and Vice-President of Qingdao Agricultural University, Liu Zhiren, State Council Counselor of the People's Republic of China, Masahiro Shiraishi, Emeritus Professor of Tokyo Agricultural University and President of the International Association of Agricultural and Rural Cooperative Economics, Kenkel Phil, Professor of the University of Oklahoma State, Dr. Priscilla Ross, Vice-President of the British Institute of Cooperatives, Li Zhonghua, Dean of the College of Cooperatives of QAU and Vice-President and Secretary General of the International Association of Agricultural and Rural Cooperatives, Professor Cui Qingzhi, Deputy Director of the Korea Agricultural Association University, Shafir Maya,  Education Minister of Israel Kibbutz Sports Federation , Professor Yang Kunfeng, Director of the Entrepreneurial Innovation Center of Feng Chia University, Vice-President of the International Association of Agricultural and Rural Cooperative Economics and Secretary-General of the China (Taiwan) Cooperative Society, Abe Yukio, Researcher of the IDACA Cooperative Development Center, Fujii Changkei, Minister of Japan Education of the Central Committee of the Agricultural Cooperatives Association, Song Lin Changwen, Deputy Director and Director of the Education Center of the Central Committee of the Hokkaido Agricultural Association, and Matsubayashi Changwen, Director of the Planning Department of the Taiwan Farmers Training Institute attended the meeting.

Song Xiyun pointed out in his speech that this forum is a grand meeting in the development of cooperative education,which is of great significance for how to realize the rejuvenation of rural organization and talents through cooperative education, and to serve the modernization of agriculture in the new era of "building a community of human destiny". Experts, scholars and cooperative practitioners from all over the world and from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered together to share experiences, exchange ideas, have brainstorm, and develop consensus, which will definitely make positive contributions to the development of cooperative education.

Mr. Shiraishi, President of the International Association for Cooperative Education, delivered a speech and wished the forum a complete success.

Mao Jinming, Chairman of Guangzhou Guangzhou ZBG Education Co., Ltd. delivered a speech.

At the opening ceremony, the signing ceremony of the College of Economics(Cooperative) of QAU and the ZBG Education Innovation Class and the establishment ceremony of the ZBG Education Scholarship were held. Mu Shaoyan, Vice-President of QAU, Li Zhonghua, Dean of the  of College(Cooperative), and Mao Jinming, Chairman of Guangzhou ZBG Education Co., Ltd. signed the contract. The ZBG Education Talent Scholarship was established by Guangzhou ZBG Education Co., Ltd. in our university. The amount of the scholarship donated this time is 100,000 yuan.

In the next three days, there will be keynote speeches and individual reports respectively during the forum. In the keynote speech, Shiraishi Masahiko, the Honorary Professor of Tokyo Agricultural University in Japan, gave a report titled The Formation and Development of the Educational Concept of International Cooperatives and the Status and Problems of Cooperative Education. Liu Zhiren the State Council Counselor wrote a report called 40-Year Observations and Reflections of Chinese Farmers' Organization, Professor Kenkel Phil of Oklahoma State University, USA, entitled The Status, Problems and Prospects of the American Agricultural Cooperative Education System, Dr. Priscilla Ross, Vice-President of the British Cooperative College gave a report titled The Composition, Status and Issues of British Cooperative Education and Training. 

After the forum, the participants will also make an on-the-spot investigation of the situation of typical cooperatives around Qingdao.