CHINA ENCOURAGES MORE ASEAN YOUTH TO PURSUE HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE COUNTRY

By Nor Fariza Mohd Razhi

BEIJING, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- China is encouraging more young people from ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, to pursue higher education in the country, said Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Sun Haiyan.

Sun said the effort aims to help partner countries cultivate more talent with strong technological capabilities, which would in turn strengthen their national development and economic growth.

“To support this, we are offering more scholarships to young people in the region to study in China. We believe that technology and innovation are the driving forces of future economic growth, and China has many world-class universities,” she said.

“Therefore, we should create more opportunities for young people. This will help your countries develop more talents skilled in high technology, who will return home to contribute to national industrial and economic progress. From the bottom of our hearts, we warmly welcome young people to our universities,” she added.

Sun made the remarks during a meeting with 24 delegates from six ASEAN countries - Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia and Brunei - who are currently visiting China.

The study visit, held from Nov 12 to 19, focuses on the themes of Party Building, High-Quality Development, High-Standard Opening-Up, Chinese Modernisation and Rural Revitalisation.

According to official data, the number of two-way student exchanges between China and ASEAN exceeded 175,000 in 2023, reflecting deepening educational cooperation between both sides.

-- BERNAMA