KUALA LUMPUR: The establishment of public local university branches in China will enhance diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, said a senator.
Datuk Seri Prof Emeritus Dr Awang Sariyan said that several public universities in Malaysia are set to establish branches in China.
He believes this initiative will foster a stronger relationship between the two countries through the exchange of scholars, facilitating focused research.
Such scholarly exchanges could compare between the two civilisations, he said.
"One of my students conducted a comparative study of batik motifs from the Malay world and China, as well as the similarities between wayang kulit," he said at a seminar on the Malaysia-China golden jubilee diplomatic relations held in Parliament today.
The seminar was officiated by Dewan Negara Deputy President, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.
May 31, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
The Senate Club and the Dewan Negara organised a seminar highlighting the history, current developments and future prospects of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Awang, who is also the Honorary Advisor of the Malay Chinese Studies Centre at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), said it is important to enhance higher education cooperation, student exchanges, scholar exchanges and other academic partnerships.
He suggested incorporating the languages and cultures of both countries into school and university curricula.
Among others, Awang proposed action plans for the publication and translation of scholarly works in the humanities and natural sciences, literature and the creation of printed and online graded dictionaries.
During the event, Han Culture Centre Malaysia President Datuk Goh Hin San shared his study on "Yi Jing's role in civilisation relationships between Malaysia and China."
He discussed how the history of ancient Malay civilisation had been extensively recorded by a Chinese figure, Bujannga Yi-Jing, who once visited the Bujang Valley in the 7th century.
Separately, he reminds that Malaysia will host the International I-Ching Conference in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, in Kuala Lumpur which will be held on July 11.
Malaysia and China established formal bilateral relations in May 31, 1974, following the signing of the Joint Communique between then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak and Premier Chou En-Lai.