KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — The Malaysian Ambassador to China, Raja Datuk Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, has donated a total of 33 Malay books published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to the Sichuan International Studies University (SISU) in Chongqing, China, in an effort to intensify the use of the Malay language in the republic.
Nushirwan handed the books to the deputy president of the university, Zhu Chaowei, in a meeting held yesterday (May 18), according to a statement issued by the Malaysian Education Office in Beijing.
“In the meeting, Nushirwan handed over a donation of Malay language books published by DBP, which include grammar books, a collection of novels, and works of National Laureates, to the university, which has established a Malay Language Department since 2020,” said the statement.
The interaction session between the two sides, conducted in Malay, had gone smoothly; a manifestation of the Malaysian Government’s continued support for the progress of learning Malay in China, added the statement.
Meanwhile, Nushirwan also touched on the fact that 2024 is an important year for Malaysia and China, as the two countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Thus, he expressed the hope that the Malay language will continue to develop into a greater language of knowledge and a definitive language that is influential throughout the world in general and in China in particular, in addition to playing an important role in enhancing friendly relations among the people of both countries.
Nushirwan also hopes that the graduates of Malay Studies in China will get good career opportunities in Chinese companies that invest in Malaysia, further aiding communication in trade and investment between the two countries.
In the meantime, Zhu Chaowei said that the donation of Malay books was carried out at the opportune time and added that SISU is increasing the resources for reading and learning Malay language on its campus.
“SISU believes that language is a cultural bridge, and learning Malay in China will strengthen cultural interaction and unity between China and Malaysia,” he said.
