Indonesian Village Heads Complete Benchmarking Programme in Yunnan
The closing ceremony for the 2026 Village Head Benchmarking programme was held at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, Yunnan Province, southwest China, on Tuesday (15/9).
During the programme, participants visited Haiyan Village, the Luosiwan International Trade Centre, and the Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, where they studied rural development, trade, and regional characteristic industries.
In Xishuangbanna, they visited various coffee projects, communal village development initiatives, traditional intangible cultural heritage programmes, and digital agriculture projects, while exchanging views with local officials and villagers.
More than 20 village officials and related personnel from Indonesia completed their benchmarking study in Yunnan Province, southwest China, on Monday (14/9).
They visited Kunming and Xishuangbanna from 9 to 15 September to learn from China’s experience in rural revitalisation, grassroots governance, and flagship local industries.
“Village heads can directly observe the planting processes and practical methods. This is far more effective than studying theory in a classroom,” said Mulyadin Malik, Head of the Development and Information Agency (BPI) for Villages and Disadvantaged Regions, under the Ministry of Villages and Disadvantable Regional Development (Kemendes PDT), as reported by Xinhua.
Malik stated that the programme provides Indonesian participants with a more direct understanding of China’s approach to rural governance and industrial development. He expressed his hope that participants could bring the knowledge gained back to their respective villages and adapt these experiences to local conditions.
Several participants noted that the field visits provided practical insights into rural industrial development, rural tourism promotion, and traditional cultural preservation, serving as a useful reference for rural development in Indonesia.
Shao Weiqing, Vice Rector of Yunnan Minzu University, stated that the university hopes to use the programme as an opportunity to further strengthen practical exchange and cooperation between China and Indonesia, promoting mutual learning and development.
Launched in 2019, the Village Head Benchmarking programme has now completed six cohorts, bringing more than 100 Indonesian village heads to China for study visits.
In October 2023, China and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding cooperation in rural development and poverty alleviation, which serves as a framework for policy exchange, experience sharing, and capacity building in related fields.
The latest programme was organised by the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, with Yunnan Minzu University serving as the host.