Malaysian Deputy PM Lauds China-Malaysia Industry-Education Cooperation at Shanghai Forum

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi underscored the profound significance of China-Malaysia vocational education cooperation during a recent visit to Shanghai.

Zahid, who also serves as Malaysia's Minister of Rural and Regional Development, addressed the 2nd Malaysia-China International Industry-Education Cooperation Forum hosted by the Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics and Information. The event brought together more than 200 representatives from both nations' education and industrial sectors to explore fresh avenues for industry-education integration and map out a new blueprint for bilateral vocational education collaboration.

Zahid highlighted that China has been Malaysia's top trading partner for 16 consecutive years, built on mutual trust, shared prosperity, and deepening technical and skills collaboration. He emphasized that vocational education – Malaysia's national development strategy – serves as a primary driver of high-skill, resilient economic growth. Praising the "Chinese model" as a catalyst for Malaysia's vocational talent development, he stressed that the Malaysian government will boost policy support and funding to ensure initiatives jointly driven by the China-Malaysia International Industry-Education Cooperation Center, Malaysia's National Union of Workers, and Chinese partners deliver high-impact, sustainable results.

Zhao Jian, president of the institute, noted that collaboration with Malaysian institutions is a central pillar of the school's internationalization efforts, highlighting recent achievements in faculty-student exchanges, joint curriculum development, and credit transfer. He also laid out the institute's future plans, including international student programs in "Aerospace + Industrial Robotics," the launch of an international integrated circuit training center, and tailored academic education and hands-on skills training for personnel in Malaysian industrial parks.

Witnessed by the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, several collaborative initiatives were launched at the institute, including the China-Malaysia Industry Talent Training and Placement Program (ITTP), the "Skills Future (China-Malaysia)" Program, the E-Commerce, Rail Transit, AI and Information Security Alliance, and the China Global Professional and Certification Center. The institute also signed cooperation agreements with multiple Malaysian vocational colleges, spanning flagship disciplines including industrial robotics and integrated circuits.

It was honored with the Outstanding Contribution Award for China-Malaysia Educational Exchange" in recognition of its long-standing commitment to bilateral educational collaboration.