Deputy Speaker of the Pahang State Assembly, YB Lee Chin Chen, met with Wang Hesheng, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province in China, to discuss opportunities for collaboration in higher education between Heilongjiang and Malaysia. The meeting explored the possibility of offering direct scholarships to outstanding Malaysian students for studies in Heilongjiang.

    Accompanying Lee on this visit, invited by the Heilongjiang provincial government, were Tanah Rata State Assemblyman YB Ho Chi Yang, Malaysia-China Cultural Tourism Association President Natalie Chan, Sunway University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Chai, and Oneworld Hanxin College Academic Director Ms Koh Siang Chai. They also met with Feng Weiquan, Deputy Director of Heilongjiang’s Department of Education, and Li Shengbin, Deputy Director of Heilongjiang’s Foreign Affairs Office.

    During the meeting, Vice Governor Wang welcomed the Malaysian higher education delegation and provided a detailed overview of the development of higher education in Heilongjiang. He emphasized the significance of 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China, and highlighted the provincial government’s commitment to strengthening educational exchanges and collaborations with Malaysia. This meeting, he noted, symbolizes a new chapter in higher education partnerships between the two regions.

    Lee Chin Chen underscored Malaysia’s highly internationalized and high-quality education system, noting that over 80,000 international students applied to study in Malaysia last year. Among them, more than one-third came from China, making it the largest source of international students in the country.

    Leading representatives from four Malaysian higher education institutions, Lee attended discussions with 11 universities in Heilongjiang, held in Harbin and Daqing. These meetings resulted in agreements on various initiatives, including student exchange programs, faculty visits, research collaboration, and joint education projects.

    Lee also highlighted Heilongjiang's academic excellence in engineering and liberal arts, emphasizing the potential to bring these world-class resources to Malaysia. Moreover, he announced that priority scholarships had been successfully secured for Malaysian students, particularly benefiting those with academic potential but facing financial constraints. This initiative aims to help more Malaysian students fulfill their aspirations to study abroad.

    Organized by the Malaysia-China Cultural and Tourism Promotion Association, the delegation participated in the China (Heilongjiang)-Malaysia Higher Education Exchange Conference, held in Harbin and Daqing. On December 20, the delegation also met with Lü Jianguo, Member of the Standing Committee and Vice Mayor of Daqing City, further strengthening ties between Pahang and Daqing.