UTAR and CUC to jointly establish ASEAN Research Centre for a Community with a Shared Future

UTAR and the Communication University of China (CUC) have partnered to establish the ASEAN Research Centre for a Community with a Shared Future, a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening academic collaboration and fostering deeper research on ASEAN-China relations.

The research centre will serve as a hub for intellectual discourse, policy analysis, and collaborative projects, bridging scholars and policymakers across ASEAN member states and China. The official launch, scheduled for April at UTAR Sungai Long Campus, will mark a significant milestone in the promotion of shared regional development, peace, and cultural understanding.

The research centre is a joint initiative between CUC’s Institute for a Community with a Shared Future and UTAR Tun Tan Cheng Lock Institute for Social Studies (TCLI). Dr Soon Thean Bee, an academic from the UTAR Faculty of Creative Industries (FCI), is the chairperson of the centre.

On 21 January 2025, a virtual joint working meeting was co-hosted by CUC and UTAR to discuss the ASEAN Research Centre’s development. The meeting brought together six representatives from CUC, including the institute’s director, Prof Li Huailiang, as well as deputy directors Assoc Prof Zhang Yanqiu and Assoc Prof Dr Liu Fenghai. UTAR’s delegation was led by TCLI Director Assoc Prof Dr Chin Yee Mun and Dr Soon, along with 11 research fellows from the centre. The session was chaired by Assoc Prof Zhang Yanqiu.

Prof Li Huailiang highlighted that the establishment of the research centre and the appointment of several Malaysian scholars as research fellows will further strengthen academic ties between China and ASEAN. This initiative is expected to contribute to regional peace, economic development, and cultural exchange.

Dr Chin provided an overview of UTAR and the research centre, emphasising the university’s wide range of faculties, including medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, electronic engineering, computing, management, social sciences, and creative industries. He highlighted Malaysia’s multicultural society as a reflection of the shared future concept, making it an ideal hub for ASEAN studies.

The research centre will focus on areas such as bilateral and multilateral relations, international political economy, cross-cultural studies, and arts and heritage. It aims to advance studies that promote sustainable development and regional prosperity.

Beyond academic research, the centre seeks to facilitate collaboration between academia and industry by offering impactful solutions to address global and regional challenges. Planned activities include international lectures, training programmes, and policy discussions aimed at encouraging public engagement.

In conjunction with this occasion, CUC’s Institute for a Community with a Shared Future has also appointed several UTAR scholars as visiting research fellows, including Dr Chin, Dr Soon, FCI Deputy Dean (R&D and Postgraduate Programmes) Dr Cynthia Lau Pui-Shan, Department of General Studies Head Ms Ira Meilita binti Ibrahim, TCLI research fellows Dr Tan Sing Pei, Dr Tan Wooi Yee, Ts Dr Phua Yeong Nan, Dr Mohd Syuja bin Saedin, Mr Lee Jenn Yuan, Mr Lee Kin Keong and Ms Liong Mei Yin as visiting research fellows in their institute.

The establishment of the ASEAN Research Centre for a Community with Shared Future reaffirms UTAR’s dedication to international collaboration and academic excellence, reinforcing its role in shaping regional discourse on policy and development.