Malaysian national Goh Lai-sin is pursuing postgraduate veterinary studies at National Chung Hsing University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City. (Photo courtesy of Goh Lai-sin)
Education and tourism exchanges between Taiwan and Malaysia soar to record highs under the New Southbound Policy.
Malaysian national Goh Lai-sin moved to Taiwan in 2012 to pursue her ambition of becoming a veterinarian. “Ever since I was a child, all I’ve wanted to do is help stray animals,” she said.
Deterred by the high cost of studying in Europe and the U.S., Goh turned her attention to National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in the central city of Taichung. The 31-year-old said she opted to apply to the college due to its high standard of instruction, generous scholarship program for international students and recognition of the qualification in her homeland.
“The professors have rich and varied experience and they really care about how you’re doing inside and outside the classroom,” said Goh, who completed her degree in 2017 and is pursuing postgraduate veterinary studies at NCHU. “I feel lucky and grateful to have gotten the chance to study here and always remind myself to seize every learning opportunity.”
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Student Surge
Goh is among the soaring number of Malaysians enrolled at tertiary institutions in Taiwan. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), the total reached a record 17,079 in 2017, up from 16,051 the previous year. The Southeast Asian nation is the second largest source of overseas students, trailing only China.
Jacy Liew, head of the Taiwan Education Center (TEC) in the state of Selangor, said that over the past two years Taiwan has surpassed the U.K. to become the second most popular overseas study destination among Malaysians, behind Australia. The center, which is administered by Taipei City-based National Taiwan University (NTU) and supported by the MOE, has played a key role in fostering this growth.
Taiwan operates TECs in nine Asian countries to offer Mandarin classes and raise awareness of the country’s higher education sector. With Chinese-language courses available at many elementary and high schools in Malaysia, the TEC in Selangor focuses on providing Mandarin teacher training as well as information about studying in Taiwan. The center also stages the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language, Taiwan’s official Mandarin certification exam, and arranges the annual Taiwan Further Education Fair.
Growing interest in Taiwan’s tertiary sector is spotlighted by the popularity of the expo. This year’s edition was held in five cities across central and southern Malaysia from March 26-30 and attracted about 8,000 visitors. “Taiwan universities offer affordability as well as top-quality educators, infrastructure and resources,” Liew said. “Plus, Malaysian students quickly feel at home in Taiwan owing to the social and cultural similarities.”
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Promotional Push
The increase in student numbers comes amid wide-ranging government efforts to enhance people-to-people exchanges under the New Southbound Policy (NSP). A key plank in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national development strategy, the initiative seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, six South Asian nations, Australia and New Zealand.
Since the launch of the NSP in 2016, funding has been increased for various promotional events like the Taiwan Further Education Fair, which prior to this year was held in three cities. TEC has also established new platforms aimed at strengthening academic cooperation such as the Malaysia-Taiwan University President Forum.
Staged July 26, the seminar was organized by the center in collaboration with NTU and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), or the National University of Malaysia. The meeting at UKM in Selangor gathered 76 university heads and other administrative officers to discuss topics spanning academic mobility, dual-degree partnerships and industry tie-ups.
Such exchange platforms are building on Taiwan’s deep and enduring connections with Malaysia, and in particular its ethnic Chinese population. The majority of Malaysians pursuing degrees in Taiwan are ethnically Chinese. This group comprises 23 percent of Malaysia’s 32.4 million people, with Bumiputera, including Malays and other indigenous peoples, making up 69.1 percent and ethnic Indians 6.9 percent, according to the country’s Department of Statistics.
Long-standing educational links are evidenced by the Chinese Taipei School (CTS) in Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 1991 and partially funded by the MOE, the institution offers bilingual English-Mandarin curriculums at the preschool, elementary and high school levels. Chang Yih-ching (張義清), principal of CTS, said that the school uses textbooks and recruits teachers largely from Taiwan so students can transition seamlessly between the two sides. “About 90 percent of our graduates will go to college in Taiwan,” he added.
Emily Chen (陳奕霖) is one of the 14 CTS graduates, out of a total 26, to gain admission to NTU this year. “All my hard work has finally paid off and I’m grateful for the opportunity to study at Taiwan’s top university,” said the 18-year-old, whose Taiwanese parents relocated to Malaysia to set up a division of their family’s tire and wheel business. “After graduation, I want to follow in the footsteps of my mother and father and invest in ASEAN markets.”
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Tourism Growth
According to Chang Chi-ping (章計平), who completed his tenure as head of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia in July, the robust cultural and educational connections between the two sides laid the foundations for the broader expansion in people-to-people ties under the NSP. “Among ASEAN countries, Malaysia is Taiwan’s largest source of not just students, but also tourists,” he said. “That demonstrates the strength of our bilateral exchanges.”
Tallies compiled by the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications show that the country received 528,019 visitors from Malaysia in 2017, up 11.3 percent from the previous year. Taiwan visitor numbers to the Southeast Asian nation similarly registered significant growth, climbing 20.82 percent to 296,370 over the same period.
Abe Chou (周士弼), director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau office in Kuala Lumpur, said the surge in Malaysian visitors is the result of expanded promotional efforts under the NSP. Recent measures in this regard include hiring Malaysian actress and TV host Mira Filzah to serve as tourism ambassador in the country and Brunei. This is the first time Taiwan has selected a spokesperson for these markets. The bureau also staged a meeting at the March 16-18 Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents Fair, the country’s largest vacation industry expo, to highlight Taiwan’s Muslim-friendly travel environment.
According to Chou, as about 60 percent of Malaysia’s population is Muslim, Taiwan’s progress in cultivating related travel services is a key factor in recent tourism development. Since the end of 2015, the number of halal-certified hotels and restaurants has risen from 76 to more than 170, while the MOE-funded Halal.Taiwan app has been rolled out to enable Muslim visitors to easily locate such businesses as well as facilities like mosques and prayer rooms.
The success of these efforts is evidenced by Taiwan’s ranking as the fifth most Muslim-friendly destination among non-Muslim countries in the Global Muslim Travel Index 2018 released April 11 by MasterCard and CrescentRating. This marks the country’s best-ever result in the survey.
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Trending Destination
Taiwan’s push to attract more tourists coincides with a growing interest in international vacations and independent travel in Malaysia, said Paul Paw, managing director of China Express Tours and Travel in Kuala Lumpur. “It’s becoming a favorite holiday destination for Malaysians thanks to the increase in daily direct flights and rising awareness of its landscapes, food and culture,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of repeat visitors too, and that’s boosting demand for in-depth tours.”
Cooper Huang, CEO of Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysian Harmony Tour and Travel, noted that Taiwan’s leisure farms are a particular draw for holidaymakers. Their mix of do-it-yourself and ecological activities, local delicacies and natural scenery make them perfect for family and group tours, he said, adding that his company has forged links with 20 leisure farms to meet blossoming demand.
Yen Lin-jiu, president of Airlink Travel and Tour in Selangor, said that agencies are designing a host of innovative vacation options for the swelling ranks of Malaysians eyeing a holiday to Taiwan. Among his firm’s offerings are guided tours led by well-known Malaysian entertainers and deals combining a brief stay in Taipei with a cruise between northern Taiwan’s Keelung City and Okinawa in Japan. “Tours to Taiwan hold the key to future business growth,” he added.
According to former TECO head Chang, the increase in education and tourism exchanges is setting the stage for a new era in bilateral relations. “For study and travel, Taiwan is a destination of choice for Malaysians,” he said. “This upsurge in people-to-people connections is deepening mutual understanding and transforming our ties into a comprehensive partnership.”
