Insights | China-Malaysia academic cooperation boosts talent development and regional growth: scholar

(ECNS) -- "You can feed a man with fish, and it will help the man survive for a day. But if you teach the man how to fish, it will go beyond the day.” During his recent visit to China, Kenneth Lee Tze Wui, head of the Department of Mass Communication at the Faculty of Creative Industries, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), shared his insights on how to learn from China in an exclusive interview with China News Network.

He praised China's efforts in promoting global knowledge transfer, emphasizing that its academic cooperation with neighboring countries plays a crucial role in fostering regional development.

Lee's visit to China included participation in discussions on urban planning and transportation at Beijing Jiaotong University. He was particularly impressed by the government's proactive approach in these fields. “Instead of taking a reactive stance, they deal with issues first before issues happen. So this is something that I find a lesson that we need to learn from China," he remarked.

Highlighting the importance of education in knowledge transfer, Lee noted, " The Chinese government is very strategic. They are actively connecting with neighboring countries to pass on the knowledge.” He mentioned that he had been invited to several academic seminars organized by the Chinese government last year, from which he had greatly benefited.

Speaking about collaboration in the public transportation sector, Lee emphasized that nurturing high-quality talent is key to improving transport systems."If we can have talent that can tap into urban planning and public transportation, if this area can be improved, then subsequently people's quality of life will eventually be improved as well,” he said.

He cited an example from the seminar, where a professor introduced the concept of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), aimed at optimizing land use around transportation hubs to encourage greater public transit use and reduce reliance on private vehicles. “So if we can implement this in Malaysia, we will be able to solve our traffic condition problem,” he said.

On specific examples of China-Malaysia talent cooperation, Lee revealed that UTAR has signed agreements with Beijing Jiaotong University, Tsinghua University, and other top Chinese institutions in various fields. He also highlighted a recent partnership with Hunan Broadcasting System to establish an international media institute, providing a wider platform for students from both countries to learn and exchange ideas.