UTAR Department of Soft Skills Competency of Sungai Long Campus in collaboration with Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU), China organised a three-day programme titled “Virtual Mobility Programme: Globalisation and Cultural Exchange: An interaction to move forward” on 27 August 2022, 28 August 2022 and 3 September 2022.

The opening ceremony took place on 27 August 2022. It saw UTAR Division of Community and International Networking (DCInterNet) Deputy Director Dr Chen, I-Chi and SHOU College of Economics and Management Vice Dean Prof Li, Yufeng delivering their welcome speeches.

A sharing session was held after the speeches. The first to present at the session was UTAR Institute of Management and Leadership Development Director Prof Dr Cheng Ming Yu, who shared her topic titled “The impact of globalisation towards the economy”. At the session, Prof Cheng discussed the drive for globalisation which included technology, transportation and international cooperation. She also mentioned that the pandemic and digitalisation have brought a new form of globalisation to the economy.

The next to present was Assoc Prof Chen, Ye from SHOU, who spoke about “Frontiers of Chinese ocean economy development”. Prof Chen began by explaining the definition and the history of the Chinese ocean economy and its effects on the national economy. He also talked about the Chinese fishing industry, China’s national offshore oil, coastal tourism, the new ocean industry and the values brought to the marine industry.

The sharing on the second day was conducted in Mandarin. The first to present was Assoc Prof Yang, Wei from SHOU. She presented on “Economic integration and China’s Belt and Road Initiative”. During the session, she shared the different types of economic integration which included preferential trading agreements, free trade areas, customs unions, common markets and economic unions. She also explained the main concept of the Belt and Road initiative; how it can be expanded and how it can bring more benefits and convenience.

PLab Sdn Bhd Founder Chok Yen Hau presented on “Sustainable tourism ecological chain based on the sea - fishing village economy and ecological tourism development”. He introduced the fishing village from different aspects such as the fishing market, food, culture and tourism. Some of the interesting fishing villages he mentioned were Kampung Mangkuk in Terengganu, Pulau Gajah in Kelantan and Kuala Sepetang in Perak.

A forum, moderated by Dr Toh Pey Yi, was also held. The panellists of the forum were Dr Lim Poh Im from UTAR, and Prof Zhang, Haiqing and Prof Chen, Linsheng from SHOU. The title of the forum was “Economy and environment play an important role in building sustainable cities and communities”. Dr Lim shared about the climate change in Malaysia and how to transform Malaysian cities into low-carbon cities. Prof Chen shared about sustainable development and the green technologies implemented in Shanghai city. Prof Zhang, on the other hand, talked about the production change and behavioural change caused by climate change. Lastly, the panellists discussed their views on how one can play a role in sustainable development.

The last day of the programme took place on 3 September 2022. Students from both universities took the opportunity to share the cultural differences between Malaysia and China. The topics included local festivals, foods, the background of the university, etc. Last but not least, one of the postgraduate students from China was invited to share her experience studying at UTAR.

The three-day programme came to an end with a closing ceremony. Prof Chen, Tinggui from SHOU and Assoc Prof Dr Lai Soon Onn from UTAR DCInterNet presented their closing speeches.

The programme ended with a virtual group photograph and a video to recap the three-day programme.