KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Malaysia and China today discussed various strategic initiatives to expand and strengthen cooperation in the higher education sector in conjunction with celebrating the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations.

Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) said in a statement the discussion was held between China’s Education Minister Huai Jinpeng and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir in Putrajaya.

"The counterparts exchanged views on their countries’ higher education landscape and direction as well as potential strategic cooperation, particularly in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) field, in aspects such as socio-cultural and industrial collaboration for Malaysian students involving companies led by Chinese firms including Huawei and Geely,” read the statement.

The discussion also covers the cooperation in advanced technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, computing, green technology, microchips and automotive, among other things.

According to the statement, both ministers agreed that cooperation in the relevant research sector could be enhanced by establishing a national-level research centre for the two countries.

They also encouraged strategic cooperation between higher education institutions in Malaysia and China in various science and technology development programmes, resource sharing, technical data, facilities, training research, and dialogues on civilisations.

The statement also said a signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) was also conducted during the meeting.

CSCSE and MQA will join forces to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise on national qualification frameworks and accreditation processes and to promote international cooperation to recognise qualifications and skills acquired through higher education.

"The collaboration will further strengthen academic mobility programmes, sharing of research findings and best practices in quality assurance of the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing higher education sector,” it added. — Bernama