President MA Yanming leads delegation on visit to Brunei

The year 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brunei. Against this backdrop, MA Yanming, President of Zhejiang University, led a delegation to Brunei from February 3 to 5 to further advance practical cooperation and strengthen ties with Bruneian partners.

During the visit MA Yanming met with Hazri bin Haji Kifle, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). In his remarks, MA Yanming outlined the recent development of Zhejiang University (ZJU) and highlighted the achievements of the two universities’ long-standing collaboration in cultivating petrochemical talent under the “university-university-enterprise” partnership model since 2013. He noted that the model has yielded remarkable results and stands as a flagship example of educational cooperation between Chinese universities and Brunei. Looking ahead, he expressed ZJU’s readiness to deepen collaboration through platforms such as the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory and to expand cooperation in broader areas of shared interest.

Hazri bin Haji Kifle responded positively, affirming UBD’s strong interest in further strengthening partnership with ZJU. He expressed the hope that both institutions would continue to broaden cooperation in scientific research, technology transfer, and other key areas, contributing jointly to the development of both countries.

During the visit, MA Yanming also held discussions with CHEN Shaochun, Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, and Datin Seri Paduka Dr Hjh Romaizah Hj Mohd Salleh, Brunei’s Minister of Education. During their talks, MA Yanming introduced ZJU’s latest achievements in artificial intelligence, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and emphasized the university’s commitment to leveraging joint talent development programs and collaborative research platforms to support industrial and technological advancement as well as people-to-people exchange between China and Brunei.

Both CHEN Shaochun and Romaizah Mohd Salleh expressed strong support for the sustained development of the “university-university-enterprise” cooperation model. They voiced their expectation that all parties would work together to enrich the substance of cooperation, expand its impact, and deliver more tangible outcomes in the years ahead.

As part of the visit, President MA Yanming and his delegation also toured Hengyi Industries SDN BHD, where they held in-depth discussions with QIU Jianlin, Chairman of Zhejiang Hengyi Group, on further strengthening university-enterprise collaboration. Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in promoting the industrial application of cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, inject fresh momentum into the high-quality joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and better serve the well-being of the peoples of China and Brunei.

Ma Yanming and his delegation also conducted a field visit to Hengyi Industries (Brunei) Co., Ltd., where they held in-depth discussions with Qiu Jianlin, Chairman of Zhejiang Hengyi Group Co., Ltd., on university-enterprise cooperation. Both sides stated that they would further deepen cooperation, promote the industrial application of cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, inject new momentum into the high-quality joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and better benefit the people of both China and Brunei.

This visit further consolidated ZJU’s partnerships in Brunei and opened up new prospects for advancing cooperation in talent cultivation, scientific innovation, and industry-academia integration, contributing to the broader development of China-Brunei relations.

Source: Office of Global Engagement, Office of Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs
Translator: FANG Fumin
Editor: HAN Xiao