Peter T. C. Chang

Asian Angle | In China’s education exports to Malaysia, trust and sensitivity are key

China should adopt an inclusive approach to its educational advancement that is mindful of Malaysia’s social and cultural fabric

Reading Time:4 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in Kuala Lumpur in June. Photo: Xinhua

Peter T. C. Chang

Published: 11:00am, 8 Sep 2024

China’s technological expertise has the potential to transform the world, but its expanding educational influence has left some feeling marginalised and threatened. To address these concerns and harness China’s soft power as a positive force for change, it’s essential to adopt a multilingual approach and foster trust among different cultures.

In June, China’s Premier Li Qiang visited Malaysia to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. A key indicator of their strong bond is their close educational ties, with China having made inroads into Malaysia’s education sector. According to a June report by Singapore’s CNA news network, around 40,000 Chinese students are studying in Malaysia, while about 4,000 Malaysians are pursuing higher education in China.

Earlier in May, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced plans for Malaysia to send 5,000 students to China for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses. These programmes will cover advanced technologies such as renewable energy vehicles, robotics, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. Ahmad Zahid described this initiative as a “game changer” that would help propel Malaysia into the era of Industry 4.0.

China, as a technological powerhouse, seeks to leverage its expanding educational influence to become a global transformative force. This ambition is particularly evident in Malaysia, where China’s efforts to achieve this goal are on full display. In 2016, Xiamen University established a full-fledged campus in Malaysia (XMUM). The XMUM project, with its core programmes centred on science and engineering, is seen as another initiative by China to support Malaysia’s technological advancement goals. However, XMUM also represents China’s broader ambition to enter the Western-dominated international tertiary education sector, marking a significant move in the realm of soft-power contestation. A key objective of XMUM was to establish a campus reflecting Malaysia’s demographics. To that end, it introduced special study grants for bumiputra and Indian students and implemented various recruitment campaigns. However, this ambition is not without its challenges.

The campus of Xiamen University Malaysia. Photo: Facebook/Xiamen University Malaysia

XMUM’s efforts align with Malaysia’s long-standing affirmative action policy to safeguard bumiputra access to tertiary education, a policy that some feel is under threat. Recently, proposals to grant non-Malay students admission to MARA Technological University postgraduate medical programmes have stirred protests, highlighting concerns about the erosion of opportunities for lower-income Malays to pursue higher education. This episode underscores Malaysia’s ongoing challenge to bridge the wealth gap between ethnic groups. There is concern that China’s growing influence in the country could disproportionately benefit certain communities (that is, non-Malays) and exacerbate the socio-economic divide.

Due to its size, China poses an asymmetrical challenge that could disadvantage smaller nations. In Malaysia, this challenge is further complicated by the country’s diverse demographic composition. China’s dominance in the economic sphere, for example, is perceived to benefit Chinese-Malaysians disproportionately. This could strain bilateral relations and exacerbate tensions within Malaysia’s delicate social fabric.