Taiwan Studies Project MOU Signed with Leading University in Malaysia Extends Bilateral Education Cooperation
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya and the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) was signed at a ceremony held on October 30, 2023. The MOU supports a one-year Taiwan Studies Project at Universiti Malaya that will continue and deepen the bilateral professional training and education related cooperation between Taiwan and Malaysia.
In her remarks at the signing ceremony, Representative Phoebe Yeh pointed out that Taiwan and Malaysia have forged very strong and close relations for decades, especially in the field of education. Two Taiwan Studies Projects have already been carried out, in 2019 and 2020 respectively, with support from Universiti Malaya, a leading university in Malaysia. These projects aroused the interest of more Malaysian scholars to engage in Taiwan-related studies and have considerably enhanced mutual understanding between Taiwan and Malaysia. The Taiwan Studies Project commencing in 2023 represents a significant milestone for continuing academic cooperation between the two parties. She expressed hope that Malaysians from all walks of life would be able to obtain a better understanding of Taiwan from the perspectives of politics, economics, culture, and community through this cooperative project, and her confidence that Taiwan and Malaysia will be able to forge closer bonds through such ongoing efforts to exchange resources and nurturing skilled people together.
The main focus of the latest Taiwan Studies Project is on two themes: relations between Taiwan and Malaysia, and the Taiwanese gastronomy culture in Malaysia. The Project commenced on October 1, 2023 and will continue until September 30, 2024. It involves establishing academic programs, scholar exchanges, writing and publishing Taiwan Studies materials, developing a Taiwan Studies-related book collection and digital databases, and holding Taiwan Studies-related exchange activities related to its two themes. It will also provide an interactive platform for scholars to meet like-minded professionals to expand future cooperation to explore relations between Taiwan and Malaysia. During the implementation of the project, feedback will be collected from students and participants and compiled to use to make timely adjustments and improvements to its programs.
The signatories of the MOU were Professor Datuk Dr. Danny Wong Tze Ken, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; and Ms. Charlin Chang, Director of the Education Division at TECO, and the distinguished guests at the signing ceremony included Representative Phoebe Yeh; Professor Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian, Associate Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at Universiti Malaya; Professor Dr. Andri Andriyana, Director of the university’s International Relations Centre; Ven Jue Cheng, the Chief Abbess of Fo Guang Shan Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia; and Mr. Yau Teck Kong, Chairman of the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies.