Representatives of UTAR Confucius Institute paid a courtesy visit to the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Penang on 6 May 2024.

The visit was led by UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong. He was accompanied by UTAR Confucius Institute Director (China) Prof Ma Yingxin.  They were cordially received by the Vice Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Penang, Ms Ding Qiao.

Prof Choong gave a brief introduction about the establishment of the Confucius Institute at UTAR and the unveiling ceremony of the Confucius Institute, which took place on 26 April 2024. He also shared updates about the Confucius Institute’s collaboration and future plans with enterprises, secondary schools and the Malaysia Education Exchange Association (MEEA).  

Apart from that, he invited the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Penang to attend the academic conference on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, which is one of the activity series of “Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of Confucius Institutes and UTAR Confucius Institute Open Day”.

Meanwhile, Prof Ma introduced the seven teaching sites set up by UTAR Confucius Institute, which included prominent Chinese-funded enterprises in Malaysia such as China Railway Construction Group (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd, and China Harbour Engineering Company (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, to name a few. Additionally, she shared the upcoming plans of Dezhou University, Shandong and UTAR for the development of the Confucius Institute.

Affirming the establishment of the UTAR Confucius Institute, Vice Consul General, Ms Ding, emphasised that the institute’s unveiling and launch ceremony, along with the forthcoming academic conference, mark a promising beginning for its development. She urged the institute to advocate the promotion of Chinese Language training, and the fostering of cultural exchanges and educational partnerships between China and Malaysia.

The visit also saw both parties having an insightful discussion regarding potential collaborations in the future.