KUALA LUMPUR: More than 47,000 university students from China are studying in Malaysia as of September this year, a five-fold increase in five years, says Chinese Ambassador Ouyang Yujing.

The number of university students studying in Malaysia was less than 9,000 in 2019.

It is obvious the number of students surged after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ambassador Ouyang described the increase as a breakthrough in the education sector in terms of Malaysia-China ties when he attended the 55th anniversary of Persatuan Keturunan Au Yong Malaysia (Au Yong Clan Association in Malaysia which shares the same Chinese surname with Ambassador Ouyang) on 17 November.

Besides university students, the number of tourists had also spiked by 144% as of September this year, he said, adding that the number of tourists from China was even higher than the pre-pandemic level.

Based on the figures, he said the China-Malaysia ties were strengthened further, especially after both countries waived visa for travelling.

Bilateral trade between China and Malaysia had surpassed US $184.751 billion in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of China-Malaysia ties this year, said Ean Yong Tin Sin, president of the association.

Also present at the luncheon was Port Klang Authority chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah.