KUALA LUMPUR: The country must be ambitious in leveraging its ties with China to become a regional leader in churning out innovation and technology experts, Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said today (May 13).
Johari had earlier welcomed delegates from the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Parliament.
The visit was to further strengthen its diplomacy and commemorate the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China bilateral relations.
Present at the closed-door meeting was the Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, his deputy and Parliamentary Liaison Sub-committee chairman Tommy Cheung Yu-yan and other council members.
Johari stressed the need for strategic collaboration and proposed the establishment of a dedicated team or "R&D centres across Malaysia", focusing on critical areas such as climate change, renewable energy, food security and innovation.
He said engagements that could bolster synergy between the two nations include academic exchange programmes between Malaysia and Hong Kong, aimed at nurturing talent and fostering cross-cultural collaboration.
"By promoting student mobility and knowledge exchange, we can create a vibrant ecosystem for learning and innovation.
"This partnership will not only benefit our youth but also strengthen ties between our two nations," he added.
Johari said this was in light of the increasing influx of investors into Malaysia, said Johari, where equipping the workforce with the necessary skills to meet industry demands could not be disregarded.
"We must prioritise skills development and training initiatives to ensure that our workforce remains competitive in the global market," he said.
He added that China's desire to engage with Asean countries presented a significant opportunity for collaboration as Malaysia readies itself to assume the Asean chairmanship next year.
"Malaysia is poised to play a key role in fostering greater economic integration and cooperation within the region.
"Thus, establishing a shared commitment will drive economic growth and prosperity," said Johari.