UTAR and partners host the 8th Malaysia–China Twin Parks Seminar to advance innovation and cooperation

UTAR, together with partners from Malaysia and China, successfully hosted the 8th Seminar on the Twin Parks Cooperation between Malaysia and China on 19 August 2025 at the Putrajaya Marriott Hotel. The seminar, themed Fostering Innovation for a Shared Future, gathered government officials, academics, industry leaders, and researchers from both economies to explore collaborative innovation and strengthen bilateral ties through the Twin Parks initiative.

The seminar was jointly organised by UTAR, China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (CMQIP), China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (Guangxi) Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP), and Guangxi Minzu University (GXMZU). It was also supported by The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) and sponsored by IOI Group, 99 Speed Mart, Golden Eagle Realty, Hasilwan, and Silverlake Group.

This year’s seminar carried added significance as it returned to Malaysia after last year’s successful edition in China, continuing the tradition of alternating venues between the two countries since the seminar’s inception in 2018.

Present at the opening ceremony were ACCCIM President Datuk Ng Yih Pyng, UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, CMQIP Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee Mr Zuo Kongtian, IOI Properties Group Berhad Chief Operating Officer Mr Teh Chin Guan, Hasilwan Sdn Bhd Executive Chairman Ir Datuk Yong Ah Huat, Golden Eagle Realty Sdn Bhd Representative Mr Kenny Tan, Silverlake Group Head of Business Mr Yoti Yaacob and ACCCIM Special Project Director Mr Low Thiam Huat.

Datuk Ng, in his keynote, described the CMQIP and MCKIP initiative as a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative and a pillar of the Malaysia–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He highlighted the parks’ achievements, including MCKIP’s cumulative industrial output of over RMB100billion and CMQIP’s 345 signed projects with output surpassing RMB1,060billion. He also emphasised the need to enhance management standards, attract high-value industries, and accelerate digital transformation, ensuring the Twin Parks continue to serve as a model for innovation-driven cooperation between the two nations.

The opening ceremony featured welcome remarks by Prof Dato Ewe, who highlighted the Twin Parks as a hallmark of Malaysia–China strategic partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative. He emphasised that over the past 12 years, MCKIP and CMQIP have not only advanced bilateral trade and industry but also strengthened friendship between the two nations. He also cited key milestones, such as MCKIP’s cumulative output, CMQIP’s growth in food processing and trade, and the progress of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), which will further enhance connectivity and logistics efficiency between Kuantan Port and Port Klang.

Mr Zuo expressed gratitude to the long-standing supporters of the Twin Parks and highlighted the strong commitment of both governments to its development. He shared that after 13 years of cooperation, the parks have successfully established cross-border supply chains in industries such as bird’s nest, durian, palm oil, and steel. Mr Zuo further noted that both sides are working towards upgrading the Twin Parks with new initiatives in cross-border trade, logistics facilitation, smart technology, and green industries, in line with the Malaysia–China joint statement on building a high-level strategic community of shared future signed in April 2025.

Guangxi Minzu University President Prof Wei Shizhen, in her pre-recorded video speech, emphasised that China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, a testament to the two nations’ economic complementarity and the Belt and Road Initiative’s success. She recalled President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia in April 2025, which signalled the start of a “new golden 50 years” for Malaysia–China relations. She noted that the university will continue to strengthen academic exchanges, industry collaboration, and research on the Twin Parks, providing new perspectives and innovative ideas to support their development and upgrade.

A forum titled Collaborative Innovation: Building a Shared Future in a Changing World brought together four distinguished panellists, namely Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Undersecretary of the Technology Transfer and R&D Commercialisation Division Mr Boniface Anak Edwin Manung, Cryocord Sdn Bhd Executive Director Mr Henry Low Hun Ngee, ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute Senior Fellow Prof Dr Tham Siew Yean, and CMQIP Deputy Director of the Bureau of International Cooperation and Exchange Mrs Zhong Guilian, with UTAR Belt and Road Strategic Research Centre Chairperson Prof Dr Cheng Ming Yu as the moderator. The discussion focused on emerging opportunities in smart technology, logistics connectivity, sustainable industrial development, and cross-border trade facilitation.

The afternoon sessions featured parallel seminars with paper presentations from 24 scholars and researchers across Malaysia, China, and international institutions. Topics ranged from renewable energy adoption, intergovernmental industrial park innovation, and cross-border trade to cultural exchange, green development, and the digital economy. 

The event concluded with networking sessions and academic exchanges that facilitated deeper discussions and potential collaborations among participants. 

Since its launch in 2018, the Twin Parks Seminar has served as an important bridge between Malaysia and China, fostering sustainable development, promoting cultural and academic exchanges, and creating opportunities for shared prosperity. The 2025 seminar once again reaffirmed the shared commitment of both nations to deepen cooperation and innovate together for a resilient future.