In a bid to promote Malaysian palm oil to Chinese businesses and consumers, an official from the Southeast Asian country's plantation authority led a delegation to China from July 8 to 12.
During the trip, Chan Foong Hin, Deputy Minister of the Malaysian Ministry of Plantation and Commodities, visited the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing, where he witnessed the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).
The delegation also explored new business opportunities in the palm oil sector and the broader agricultural produce industry.
Chan emphasized his hope to expand Malaysian companies' cooperation with China and to help Chinese consumers better appreciate the diverse uses of palm oil.
"The Malaysian Palm Oil Board's Shanghai branch is designed to specifically address the needs of the large Chinese market by offering customized products," said the deputy minister, referring to a Malaysian government agency dedicated to serving the country's palm oil industry.
He added that that the commodity has excellent potential for use in popular Chinese foods.
"For instance, red palm oil can be used in hot pot soup and as animal feed for hairy crabs, improving the flavor of the crab meat," Chan said.
As the world's second-largest palm oil producer and China's second-largest source for the commodity, Malaysia accounts for about 30 percent of global output, with the sector contributing 2.4 percent to the nation's GDP.
Malaysia has seen its market share grow as China's large consumer base exhibits increasing demand for products like synthetic detergents and cosmetics that use palm oil and its derivatives.
A growing number of Chinese companies and institutions have been partnering with their Malaysian counterparts to better integrate the palm oil supply chain and expand its applications.
"Our cooperation with Tsinghua University -- where we have tested our emissions [of] biodiesel produced from palm oil and tested it on heavy vehicles here in China -- based on this collaboration, the heavy vehicles that use biodiesel from Malaysia have shown a reduction in carbon emission. We definitely hope that we can use more palm oil or combination biodiesel as well as power generation where we can reduce the emission. And this is very important," said Datuk Parveez, director general of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
Malaysian delegation visits China to boost cooperation on palm oil exports
The 2024 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference opened on Thursday in north China's Tianjin Municipality.
Chinese Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng addressed the conference, saying vocational education should align with the trends of the times and the essence of education, maintain its distinctive characteristics, and be inclusive, industry-oriented, innovative, intelligent and international.
Themed "Innovation Empowers the Future, Skills Enlighten New Life", the two-day event is attended by guests from over 100 countries and regions, including government officials, diplomatic envoys, and personnel from international organizations and educational institutes.
"Delegation from Tajikistan is taking part in the World Vocational and Technical Educational Development Conference. And the main purpose of our delegation, the main purpose of Tajik universities, especially International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tajikistan, is collaboration with Chinese universities in the part of student exchange programs, professional development of professors and teaching staff. And also collaboration in the field of realizing the projects, investment projects within universities," said Asrorzoda Ubaydullo, rector of International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tajikistan.
The confernce witnessed the establishment of the World Technical and Vocational Education and Training League, a vocational education cooperation organization aiming to provide the most comprehensive, balanced, representative and inclusive international platform for vocational education.
It also features the finals of the World Vocational College Skills Competition and parallel meetings on topics including the coordination between enterprises and colleges in vocational training, the role of vocational education in global sustainable development, and the occupation development of vocational education teachers.
The competition has been upgraded to an international level, drawing over 29,000 participants from 74 countries to compete in 42 categories of occupations and technologies, such as AI health management and new energy vehicles.
"It's very vibrant. It's a very vital issue for the modern economy. New technologies, health care, a lot of them are non-university qualifications, but really critical. So for a lot of school leaders, there's a lot of opportunities. And we have found that the joint programs with Australian providers have been very popular. But also, more broadly, it's really to help enlighten, like the [conference] theme, empowering knowledge," said Martin Riordan, managing director of University of Melbourne.
China has established the world's largest vocational education system, with over 11,000 institutions producing over 70 percent of new workers in key industries, including advanced manufacturing and modern services, according to data from the Ministry of Education.
This source of expertise is also going beyond China's borders, as the country's vocational education partnerships are expanding with ASEAN, Africa, Central Asia, and Europe.
World vocational, technical education development conference opens in Tianjin
