On October 25, the “China–Southeast Asia Kerry Young Scientists Forum and China–Malaysia International Conference on Industrial Innovation and Common Prosperity” convened at 优米直装下载app, bringing together representatives from government, industries, universities and research institutes of China and Malaysia to discuss cooperation on industrial innovation and pathways to common prosperity.
Amid the wave of industrial transformation, Malaysia—an early and important partner of the Belt and Road Initiative—is actively expanding global trade and investment partnerships to drive sustainable economic growth. In 2024, Malaysia's GDP grew by 5.1% compared with 2023. Dato' Sri Mustapa bin Mohamed, former Minister of Malaysian Ministry of Economy and member of ASLI’s board of directors at Sunway University, noted that Malaysia still faces challenges such as uneven regional development and bottlenecks in industrial upgrading, but has introduced a series of policies to steer industry toward higher value-added transformation.
Datuk Suhana, Director of the Macroeconomic Division at the Malaysian Ministry of Economy, stated that Malaysia will further optimize its investment environment in the future, with a focus on attracting Chinese enterprises to invest in three key areas: semiconductors, new energy, and the digital economy.
In terms of cooperation models, the Malaysia–China Kuantan Industrial Park and the China–Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park have achieved synergistic development, pioneering the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" model of international industrial cooperation.
Zhang Yan of the Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies at Sun Yat-sen University suggested that the next step should be to shift from "industrial linkage" to "collaborative innovation".
An Tongliang, Dean of the Business School of 优米直装下载app, stated that Chinese enterprises can leverage their experience in interconnected innovation and combine it with Malaysia’s foundation in manufacturing. By utilizing the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" platform, they can establish a cross-border innovation network.
Yu Dianfan, Deputy Director of the Strategic Planning Office at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, also pointed out that there is vast potential for China–Malaysia cooperation in the field of digital economy.
Multinational enterprises serve as a vital bridge for investment and technology exchange between China and Malaysia, while corporate social responsibilities (CSR) function as a “common language” in their collaboration. Professor Bu Maoliang from the Business School of 优米直装下载app pointed out that there is a need to integrate profitability with environmental and social objectives to drive sustainable cooperation.
Industrial innovation is the engine of cooperation, and common prosperity is the goal of development. Liu Peilin, a researcher of Institute for Chinese Economic Practice and Thinking at Tsinghua University, highlighted the vast potential for China–Malaysia collaboration in common prosperity and rural revitalization. He suggested that both countries could jointly explore development pathways suited to their respective national conditions.
Datin Sri Suhaiza Hanim, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and Director of the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies at Universiti Malaya, explained that inspired by China’s Strategy of Targeted Poverty Alleviation, Malaysia has adopted a dual-enhancement strategy—enhancing both skills and willingness—to assist the impoverished. She expressed hope for deepened collaboration with China in areas such as development of poverty assessment system and community empowerment.
Furthermore, the conference featured four parallel sessions dedicated to discussions on industrial and energy transition, the RCEP and cross-border cooperation, as well as technological innovation and income equality.
Translator: Xie Linxin
Editor: Jiang Tingzi, Li Jing
