Established in 2013, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) is the first overseas campus set up by a renowned Chinese university and the first Chinese university branch campus in Malaysia, featuring an independent campus and offering diverse interdisciplinary education.

Founded in 1921 by the Malayan Chinese Tan Kah Kee, XMUM was the first university established by an overseas Chinese in modern Chinese educational history.

The establishment of XMUM not only upholds the traditional friendship between China and Malaysia but also serves as an exploration of high-quality collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"We aim to use education as a bridge to promote Chinese higher education globally, fostering deeper educational exchanges and cultural interactions between China, Malaysia, and countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative," said Wang Ruifang, president of XMUM.

Since its foundation in 2014, 6,302 outstanding students have graduated from XMUM. There are currently more than 9,100 students from 48 countries and regions such as Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Kazakhstan enrolled in university. By next semester, the number of students is expected to exceed 10,000.

Compared to several international universities establishing branch campuses in Malaysia, XMUM focuses on integrating its core courses with the unique needs of Southeast Asia, establishing 10 specialized colleges.

Notably, disciplines such as clinical medicine, engineering, and social sciences rank within the top 1 percent globally in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database. According to the latest ESI statistics, the average citation rate of papers published by XMUM's faculty and students ranks first among Malaysian universities.

The main gate of Xiamen University Malaysia. [Photo/people.cn]