EDITORIAL : THE NEW STRAITS TIMES, MALAYSIA

Learning from China

MALAYSIA and China have fostered a steadily deepening relationship, which is now poised to expand significantly into the rich field of education. The signing of an agreement to mutually recognise each other's universities, expected during the deputy prime minister's current visit to Beijing, has been in the offing for some time. The logic of this is evident. China is rising in the education stakes, on the heels of its political and economic clout. It has some of the highest internationally-ranked universities. Peking University, for example, established more than a hundred years ago is ranked 47th by the QS World University Ranking of 500 universities worldwide. Domestically, it is second only to Tsinghua, which is regarded by outsiders as China's best. It also is second only to America in research papers produced and fifth in the world in international patents held. Malaysian premier universities can share in combined pools of knowledge by setting up branches in China, and vice-versa, so as to turn themselves into hubs of international repute.

Of course, China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council because it is a nuclear power, which by inference means that it is not short of nuclear scientists. It manufactures fighter jets, sends rockets into space, pioneered several medical advances -- you name it, China does it. Is it any wonder that it is the world's second largest economy? China is a global leader and not merely a threat to be contained. It makes sense for Malaysia to pursue educational synergies and recognise degrees from China's institutions of higher education. This will pave the way for educational exchanges, not just between Chinese and Malaysians. Bilateral hook-ups will enhance Malaysia's and China's attraction to foreign students. More importantly, it opens areas of skills shortage in advanced technology to Chinese intellectual input -- so necessary for the success of the nation's push up the value chain and out of the middle income trap.

While the Western ascendancy has played a large part in bringing the country to where it is today, Malaysia has always had the foresight to know where its interests lie. Relations with China were trailblazed by then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein in 1974. China is now well placed to provide the support needed to realise a knowledge economy that is regionally and internationally competitive. Malaysia is a small nation in the middle of rapidly globalising economic forces that punish laggards. The obvious way ahead is an intellectual one and includes tapping into the educational raw material of an economy that has grown unstoppably for decades.