Wong (third right), Khairuddin (second left) and others pose for a picture with a plaque to commemorate the establishment of the Confucius Institute at UCTS, Sibu, during a ceremony at the university today. – Photo by Peter Boon
SIBU (Dec 10): The establishment of the Confucius Institute at University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) here marks a new milestone in education cooperation between Sarawak and China, the university’s chairman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said.
He said the institute at UCTS was the second in East Malaysia after the Confucius Institute at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and the fifth in the country.
“The Confucius Institute at UCTS will perform as a significant platform for mutual exchanges between Henan (a province in China) and Sarawak and it will also serve as an important gateway to deepen the understanding and promote the friendly cooperation between the Chinese people and the Malaysian people,” Wong said at the inauguration of the new institute today.
He revealed that the inauguration ceremony, which was held via the internet, was initially scheduled for April 2020, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
He said that on Nov 1, 2019, he had led UCTS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Ab Hamid and other professors on a visit to the North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (NCWU), where an agreement was signed for the establishment of the Confucius Institute at UCTS.
Wong said the cooperation of NCWU, UCTS and several large-scale hydropower enterprises at home and abroad, would help to cultivate more talents that would make the relationship between Sarawak and China more fruitful.
“We all know that China is an ancient civilisation with a long history of 5,000 years.
“With the development of China’s economy and the increasingly extensive international exchanges, the demand for Chinese language learning in various countries around the world has increased dramatically.
“Some countries have also risen with ‘Chinese Fever’ and ‘China Fever’ and hence, Confucius Institute emerged,” Wong said.
He said by the end of 2019, there were 550 Confucius Institutes and 1,172 Confucius classrooms established in 162 countries and regions around the world to provide opportunity for people to learn about Chinese language and culture.
“Confucius Institute jointly established by NCWU and UCTS is of great significance. I believe that Confucius Institute will become a platform for people in Sarawak, especially Sibu, to learn Chinese, understand Chinese culture, and appreciate China’s development achievements.
“UCTS will continue to deepen cooperation in various fields, promote friendly relations between both countries, and keep moving forward,” he said.
Meanwhile, guests who spoke during the online event included Chinese International Education Foundation vice president and secretary-general Zhao Lingshan; deputy consul-general of the Chinese Consulate General in Kuching, Zhang Yang; Education Department of Henan Province deputy director-general Diao Yuhua, NCWU president Liu Wenkai, Super Energy Holdings Co. Ltd president Dai Jitao and China Three Gorges International Co. Ltd president Lv Jiongtao.
Among those present at the campus here were Khairuddin, UCTS Confucius Institute dean Associate Professor Dr Wong Sing Sing; United Chinese Association (UCA) Sibu president Ngieng Ping Sing; Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association president Lau Pek Kii; United Association of Chinese Primary Aided School Boards of Management, Sibu, Kapit and Mukah Division chairman Tang Siong Khui, and Sarawak China Trades Importers & Exporters Association chairman Kapitan Lee Kung Kwong.
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