Centre Name: 

Centre for International Studies

Director: 

Dr. Leong Mun Yoon

Description of Centre:

The Center for International Studies (CIS)  was set up to acquaint UTAR campus community and the wider Malaysian public with critical contemporary issues that significantly impact on the nation, the region and the world, as Malaysia is a member of vibrant regional and global organizations and fora such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Plus Three (APT), East Asian Summit (EAS), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Commonwealth, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN).

The pursuit of knowledge at the tertiary level has been meaningfully enhanced through focused attention on current regional and global affairs; and the hosting of conferences and seminars. Public lectures have also been organized by inviting renowned personalities, policy practitioners, academics, and think-tank and media experts to impart their informed insights so as to contribute to better understanding as well as serve as guide for constructive response to key regional and international problems and challenges confronting Malaysian society.     

Areas of Interest:

• Malaysian Foreign Policy and Malaysia’s relations with its neighbours in ASEAN and East Asia, nations of the Asia Pacific and the wider global community

• The global power-balance shift from the West to the East
  in the 21st century

• Global security governance

• Community Building in ASEAN, ASEAN + 3, East Asia
  Summit and the wider Asia Pacific 

Activities in 2013

Public Lecture/Talks/Other Activities:

1. Talk entitled “Japan-ASEAN Relations” organized for  visiting students from East Asian countries – Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China  on “Learning Across Borders Programs”,  20  Feb 2013, at PH102, UTAR.  Speaker : Dr Stephen Leong, CIS Director.

2. Interviewed by Global Times (Beijing) on “Southeast Asia and China’s Regional Role”, 13 Feb 2013, at Hotel Swiss Garden, Kuala Lumpur. Article published in Global Times, 6 Mar 2013.

3. Co-organiser with International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO) and UTAR (ICS, CIS, CCSR, CMCC, CSCT) for 8th International Conference of International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO)

CIS Director, Chairperson for Panel 3 of Session 3 : "Demography, Citizenship, and Food Culture", 17-19 Aug 2013, Palace of the Golden Horses, Kuala Lumpur

4. Co-organiser with CMSC, CSTS, CIS of UTAR for National Youth Symposium : Youth Power in National Transformation, 26 Oct 2013, at PD011, UTAR

5. Speaker on “China’s Foreign Policy and Neighboring States’ Strategy toward China in the Xi JinPing Era  in the  Conference on “China’s Foreign Policy in the Xi JinPing Era”, 23 -24 Oct 2013, at Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA), Korea 

6. Moderator for Session 3 : Japan at the Cross Roads”  in  the International Conference of Japan Studies 2013 : “Rethinking Japan’s Engagement with Asia”, organised by Malaysian Association for Japanese Studies (MAJAS), University of Malaya, Malaysia-Japan Research Centre (MJRC), Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, 30-31 Oct 2013, Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya                           

7. Live Interview by CCTV (Beijing) on “Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s Reform Proposals for China” by CCTV Beijing, 13 Nov 2013, live telephone interview from Beijing, China

8. Chairperson for Panel 3 : “Ethnicity and Inter-Religious Coexistence : Implications for Governance and National Security” in the MAAS-KITA Seminar on “Managing Ethnic and Religious Diversity in the United States and Malaysia  : Challenges and Prospects” organized by Malaysian Association for American Studies (MAAS) – Institut Kajian  Etnik (KITA), 27 Nov 2013, Corus Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

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