Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, President of TAR UC (2nd from right) presenting Dr Yu Xinhui (2nd from left) with a token of appreciation.
Also present were Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai (leftmost), Datuk Seri Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong (centre) and Dato’ Sri Dr Hou Kok Chung (rightmost), Deputy Chairman of the Board of Governors of TAR UC.
Jointly organised by TAR UC and Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (‘SASS’), the International Conference on “The New Phase of Malaysia-China Relations: Belt and Road Initiative and Resource Sharing for Mutual Benefit” was held on 25 April 2019.
The conference welcomed a total of 16 speakers from TAR UC, SASS and various academic institutions in Malaysia who presented their research and findings on topics relating to the Belt and Road Initiative (‘BRI’) namely – The Development Of Malaysia-China Bilateral Trade; The Population And Social Changes In Malaysia And China; The Prospects Of Malaysia-China Business And Investment and the Development Of BRI And Malaysia-China Relations.
“China and Malaysia have a long-standing relationship as trading partners and this is expected to continue and scale new heights in the coming years. The belief and confidence in achieving continuous success relies heavily on the driving force arising from the “One Belt One Road” framework, said Datuk Seri Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TARC Education Foundation during his opening speech as the Guest of Honour.
“Academic institutions such as TAR UC and UTAR are important educational and research assets to Malaysia and both institutions are well-known locally for making significant contributions towards the nation’s development. Moving forward, these institutions will not only continue to nurture talents but also pursue quality academic research catering to the ever-changing industry and global requirements,” he added.
Dr Yu Xinhui, CPC Party Secretary of SASS expressed his delight in forging working relationship between TAR UC and Chinese institutions. “Through the Belt and Road Initiative, I am more than happy to help bridge the gap between TAR UC and Chinese institutions to work together on a deeper level and I hope that our next meeting will be a fruitful one.”
Regarded as China’s largest local research institution, SASS is renowned as a comprehensive academic institution covering humanities and social sciences. China’s government identified SASS as one of China’s 25 most distinguished think tanks in December 2015 and they play a vital role in shaping China’s strategic direction.
In his speech, Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Chairman of the Board of Governors of TAR UC, reiterated that TAR UC will allocate more resources towards research and development in the future as TAR UC aims to become a full-fledged university focusing on science and information technology.
“Since 1969, TAR UC has continuously provided quality education. Now, we will also focus on improving academic research. By doing so, we can achieve better outcome in industry-academia collaborations and contribute more towards the development of the nation.”
