KUCHING, Aug 21 — Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing is hopeful that China and Sarawak can work together to benefit from Indonesia’s capital shift from Jakarta to the island of Borneo.

"There are many cooperation possibilities which China and Sarawak can explore with the Indonesian government when it moves its capital to Kalimantan in future,” he told reporters during his official visit to i-CATS University College at Jalan Stampin Timur here yesterday.

This trilateral cooperation, he said, could be carried out in the fields of higher education, economics and in employment sector.

In 2019, Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo announced the relocation of Indonesia’s capital city from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.

The president had also made several ambitious proposals throughout Kalimantan, including a massive ‘green’ industrial zone, mega hydropower plants, and an extensive food estate initiative.

Meanwhile, when asked on his first impression of the state, Ouyang was quick to point out on Sarawak’s unity.

"Unity is the greatest thing that Sarawak has, and everybody knows the power of unity so it’s nice to see Sarawakians of all walks of life living in unity,” he said.

The official visit by the Chinese delegation to the i-CATS University College yesterday was to discuss educational matters with the university’s officials.

The delegation was briefed by i-CATS University College vice chancellor Prof Dr Shahren Ahmad Zaidi Adruce on the university’s accreditation by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.

"This accreditation enables us to open our doors to Chinese students, in solidifying our ties and friendship.

"In the pursuit of these possible future collaborations, we would work on a special package for Chinese students to join i-CATS programmes,” said Dr Shahren.

"Through these collaborations, we can share academic expertise, carry out reciprocal research, and co-publish in reputable journals,” he added.

Also present were Chinese Consul General in Kuching Xing Weiping; officials from the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development and the Sarawak education department, as well as officials from Sarawak Skills Group and the Chinese embassy in Malaysia. — Borneo Post Online