化学工程师阿末·祖海里·阿卜杜拉（Ahmad Zuhairi Abdullah）22年前加入马来西亚理科大学（USM）时，西方机构主导着该领域，从全球研究基础设施、高影响力出版物到最重大的突破。
When chemical engineer Ahmad Zuhairi Abdullah joined Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) 22 years ago, Western institutions dominated the field, from global research infrastructure and high-impact publications to the greatest breakthroughs.
二十年后，重心已东移，现任槟城马来西亚理科大学化学工程学院教授的祖海里表示。
Two decades later, the centre of gravity has moved eastward, says Zuhairi, now a professor with the USM school of chemical engineering in Penang.
“当我加入大学时，人们对中国知之甚少。我知道他们有不少好大学，也了解他们的出版物，因为我的研究工作曾引用过其中一些，”他说。
“[Not much was known] about China at that time when I joined the university. I knew that they had quite a number of good universities and I was aware of their publications because some of them I referred to in my research work,” he said.
“但肯定很少听说过与中国同行的合作。现在，你看到很多[科学家和学生]来这里，”进行学习、研究和促进合作，祖海里补充道。
“But definitely nothing much was heard in terms of collaboration with Chinese counterparts. Now, you see a lot [of scientists and students] coming here,” for studies, research and fostering collaborations, Zuhairi added.
“中国科学家在材料科学领域非常先进，”他指着大量的出版物和对科学期刊的贡献说道。
“Chinese scientists are very advanced in materials science,” he said, pointing to the high volume of publications and contributions to scientific journals.
随着中国崛起为科学强国，马来西亚致力于多元化研究网络以寻找更近的合作伙伴，关键领域的合作伙伴关系——从半导体到可持续能源材料——正日益塑造区域创新。
As China rises as a scientific powerhouse and Malaysia diversifies its research networks to find collaborators closer to home, partnerships in critical domains – from semiconductors to sustainable energy materials – are increasingly shaping regional innovation.
“中国非常积极并敞开大门进行合作，这与大约10年前形成对比，那时他们相当封闭，”祖海里说。
“China is very aggressive and opening its doors to collaborations, which is shifting from probably 10 years back [when] it was quite close to their own things,” Zuhairi said.
他还观察到，中国正努力将东南亚合作伙伴纳入其研究生态系统，一些省级资助项目要求中国科学家与该地区的研究人员合作。
He also observed that China was making an effort to include Southeast Asian partners in its research ecosystem, with some provincial funding programmes requiring Chinese scientists to work with researchers from the region.
在1月揭牌的生物质化学工程联合实验室，来自理科大学（USM）和中国东南沿海省份福建的华侨大学的研究人员正在合作，将有机废弃物和植物材料转化为有用产品，并开发可持续能源材料和低碳技术。
At the Joint Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering, inaugurated in January, researchers from USM and Huaqiao University in China’s southeastern coastal province of Fujian are working together to turn organic waste and plant material into useful products, as well as developing sustainable energy materials and low-carbon technologies.
祖海里表示，两国共同的研究兴趣之一在于将马来西亚丰富的农业废弃物与中国先进的过程工程相结合。
According to Zuhairi, one of the common research interests between the two countries lies in combining Malaysia’s abundant agricultural waste with China’s advanced process engineering.
马来西亚庞大的棕榈油产业产生大量生物质，包括压榨纤维和含有木质素的果核壳，木质素是植物中的粘合剂，传统上在造纸业中被视为低价值副产品。
Malaysia’s massive palm oil sector generates vast quantities of biomass, including pressed fibre and kernel shells which contain lignin, a bonding agent in plants that was traditionally treated as a low-value by-product in the pulp and paper industry.
祖海里的研究旨在开发专用催化剂，将木质素——仅次于纤维素的第二大生物聚合物——分解为更小的分子片段。
Zuhairi’s research aims to develop specialised catalysts to break down the lignin – the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose – into smaller molecular fragments.
“木质素被转化为酚类物质，[这]将成为转化为更有价值产品的原料，”他说。
“Lignin is converted into phenolic substances, [which] will be a feedstock for the conversion into something more valuable,” he said.
这些有价值的可再生化学品包括胶粘剂和燃油添加剂，可提升燃油性能并减少排放。
These valuable renewable chemicals include adhesives and fuel additives to improve fuel performance and reduce emissions.
化学工程为可持续材料奠定了基础，而先进硬件和半导体正将马中合作走廊推向关键的高科技领域。
While chemical engineering lays the foundation for sustainable materials, advanced hardware and semiconductors are pushing the Malaysia-China corridor into critical hi-tech domains.
在理科大学（USM）纳米光电子研究与技术学院（INOR），院长Mohd Zamir Pakhuruddin正在领导宽禁带半导体（如氮化镓）、太阳能电池和纳米光子器件的研究。
At USM’s Institute of Nano Optoelectronics Research and Technology (INOR), director Mohd Zamir Pakhuruddin is leading research into wide-bandgap semiconductors like gallium nitride, solar cells and nanophotonic devices.
过去两年里，该学院拓展了国际研究合作伙伴关系，与中国、日本和沙特阿拉伯的科学家合作，使其长期以来与德国和法国研究机构的合作关系更加多元化。
The institute has broadened its international research partnerships over the past two years to work with scientists in China, Japan and Saudi Arabia, diversifying beyond its long-standing ties with research institutions in Germany and France.
它已与重庆大学、复旦大学、哈尔滨工业大学、湖南工业大学和南京大学等中国半导体研究领域的领先机构建立了合作关系。
It has established collaborations with leading Chinese institutions in semiconductor research, such as Chongqing University, Fudan University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Hunan Institute of Technology and Nanjing University.
对于先进光伏材料与器件副教授扎米尔而言，跨国合作是推动技术进步的必要步骤，全球芯片供应和制造链便是一个例证。
For Zamir, an associate professor in advanced photovoltaic materials and devices, working across borders is a necessary step towards advancing technology, with the global supply and manufacturing chain for chips an example.
“要实现高端半导体器件，没有任何一个国家能单独完成。学术界的合作也是如此，”他说。“我们需要合作伙伴能在制造价值链的某个环节实现互补。”
“To be able to realise high-end semiconductor devices, there is no one country that can do that alone. The same goes for the collaboration of the academy as well,” he said. “We need our partners to be able to complement somewhere across the value chain of the fabrication.”
根据2024年发布的《国家半导体战略》这一为期十年的路线图，马来西亚旨在超越其在芯片后端封装和测试中的角色，转向集成电路设计、高端制造和利基设备领域。
Malaysia aims to move beyond its back-end chip assembly and testing role towards integrated circuit design, high-end manufacturing and niche equipment, as outlined in its 10-year road map, the National Semiconductor Strategy released in 2024.
“国家半导体战略的核心目标，是在发挥后端现有优势的同时，增强国家在前端领域的实力，”扎米尔说。
“The very goal of the national semiconductor strategy is to enhance the capacity of the nation to be stronger in the front end while leveraging the current strength in the back end,” Zamir said.
当被问及华盛顿与北京之间日益加剧的贸易摩擦和技术竞争时，扎米尔表示，科学与合作“应保持开放”。
When asked about the growing trade friction and technological competition between Washington and Beijing, Zamir said that science and collaborations “should remain open”.
“马来西亚在政治上保持中立，因为我们不偏袒任何一方。我们本来就不选边站。我们的学术合作也是如此。这更多是我们近年来实现国际合作伙伴多元化的举措，”他说。
“Malaysia is in the neutral position politically because we do not favour sides. We do not choose sides anyway. The same goes for our academic collaboration. It is more of a diversification of our international partners that we have done in recent years,” he said.
INOR的中国合作伙伴中包括哈尔滨工业大学（HIT），该校受到美国制裁，是“国防七子”之一——即直属中国工业和信息化部的高校。
Among INOR’s Chinese collaborators is the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), an institution subject to US sanctions and one of the “Seven Sons of National Defence” – universities directly under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
在这项合作中，马来西亚和中国的研究人员正在联合开发具有高辐射抗性的空间太阳能电池，用于近地轨道卫星应用。
In this partnership, the Malaysian and Chinese researchers are co-developing space solar cells with high radiation resilience for low Earth orbit satellite applications.
当被问及该研究所如何管理与哈工大的合作关系时，扎米尔表示，双方商定的提案条款界定了合作范围。
Asked about how the institute manages its partnership with HIT, Zamir said jointly agreed proposal terms defined the scope of their cooperation.
“在我们同意合作的领域，我认为这些是开放合作的领域，只要这些领域对探索开放，我们就应该加以利用，”他说。
“In the areas that we agreed to collaborate, I believe these are the areas that are open for collaboration and we should leverage as long as the areas are open for exploration,” he said.
扎米尔承认某些领域受到限制，但强调要专注于开放的渠道：“对于开放合作的领域，我们遵循科学应当开放的首要原则，让我们利用彼此的优势，实现共赢。”
Zamir acknowledged that some fields were restricted but emphasised focusing on open avenues: “For the areas that are open for collaboration, we go by the first principle [that] science should be open and let’s leverage each other’s strengths to win together.”
在过去两年里，扎米尔多次前往中国各个城市，他表示观察到西方的出口管制和制裁加速了中国推进国内自给自足的步伐。
Over his multiple trips to various Chinese cities in the past two years, Zamir said he observed that Western export controls and sanctions had accelerated China’s push towards domestic self-sufficiency.
“但在科学领域，我认为积极的一面是，这正在推动国家发展自身技术的能力——从科学到技术，最终实现技术在生产车间的落地，”他说。
“But in science, I think the bright side is it is pushing the capability of the nation to develop your very own technology – from science to technology, to eventually realising technology on the production floor,” he said.
在理大物理学院，副院长兼副教授阿末·法鲁兹·奥马尔表示，随着基础科学探索持续超越国界，全球合作得以延续。
At USM’s school of physics, deputy dean and associate professor Ahmad Fairuz Omar said that global cooperation endured as fundamental scientific inquiry continued to transcend borders.
“科学具有普遍性，”法鲁兹说。“从我们与世界各地（包括中国……）的交流来看，每个人都对知识充满热情。”
“Science is very universal,” Fairuz said. “From our engagement with all different parts of the world, including China … everybody is passionate about knowledge.”
5月，该学院接待了南京航空航天大学物理学院的科学家，他们分享了关于在研究中使用人工智能、核物理以及量子赋能的空间探索技术的见解。他们还探讨了宇宙学和材料制造等领域的潜在合作。
In May, the school hosted scientists from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ College of Physics, who shared insights into using AI in research, nuclear physics and quantum-enabled space exploration technologies. They also explored potential collaborations in fields such as cosmology and materials fabrication.
Fairuz 指出，他利用光谱仪在不同波长下测量水果品质指标（如果甜度、pH 值和硬度）的研究，是一个与中国合作的潜在领域。
Fairuz pointed to his research using optical spectrometers to measure fruit quality metrics like sweetness, pH and firmness across different wavelengths as an area of potential for collaboration with China.
“最终目的是找出几个能专门针对测量水果特定品质的波长。这就是我们在寻找的。但棘手的情况在于，水果种类非常多样化。” 为了建立“对这个多样化世界的共同理解”，他说，“我们可以看到，许多中国研究人员也在研究可见近红外光谱技术，特别是在农业领域的应用。”
“The final intention is [to] find out several wavelengths that can specifically cater for the measurement of that particular quality of the fruit. That is what we are looking for. But the tricky situation is that fruits are really diversified.”Looking to build “common understanding on this diversified world”, he said, “we can see that there are many researchers from China also working on visible near-infrared spectroscopy, particularly on agriculture”.
“随着从事这一领域的人数不断增加，希望这能成为某种交汇点。”By Holly Chik
“[With] the growing number of people working in this area, hopefully that will be some sort of meeting point.”