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The 2nd China-Southeast Asia Kerry Youth Scientist Forum International Symposium, themed China-Southeast Asia: Industrial Trade, Green Development and Common Prosperity in a Changing Global Landscape, was held from 20-23 August 2026 at the Business School, Nanjing University, China. The symposium was hosted by Nanjing University and supported by the China-Southeast Asia Kerry Young Scientists Forum.
The symposium featured strong participation from Universiti Malaya (UM), with six UM academics contributing as speakers. The UM delegation was headed by Prof. Suhaiza Hanim Mohamad Zailani, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, and Director of the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies. The symposium also prominently featured Dato’ Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Advisor of the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies and former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Economic Affairs, as a keynote speaker. Other UM academics included Prof. Mohd Zulkhairi Mustapha, Assoc. Prof. Suhana Mohezar Ali, Prof. Yusniza Kamarulzaman, Dr. Marini Nurbanum Mohamad and Dr Diana Wahab.
The symposium provided an important platform for knowledge exchange, research networking and institutional collaboration among academics, policymakers and experts from China, Malaysia and the wider region. It also created opportunities to explore future collaboration in research, publications, innovation and academic mobility. The programme included a leadership roundtable between Nanjing University and Malaysian delegates and a visit to the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, further strengthening university-industry and research linkages.
The event also highlighted the strategic importance of internationalisation in higher education and research. Stronger international partnerships enhance UM’s global visibility while enabling Malaysian academics to contribute to regional and global discussions. In particular, sustained academic engagement between Malaysia and China can strengthen people-to-people connections and support deeper cooperation in trade, green development, sustainability, technology, education and innovation. Overall, the symposium reinforced UM’s commitment to internationalisation and its role in strengthening China - Malaysia academic and strategic relations.
Faculty of Business and Economics
Universiti Malaya
