KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- About 45 kilometers southwest of the capital of Malaysia, a cluster of new buildings have stood up from what used to be a stretch of palm trees over the past years. Soon, they will turn into a new campus of China's Xiamen University (XMU).

Amazed by the rapid progress on the originally wild land, Zhu Chongshi, president of XMU, which is based in east China's Fujian Province, said he believes the university's new branch will be well prepared for enrollment in the first half of next year.

"The XMU Malaysian Campus will be totally open not only to local residents, but to students from other Southeast Asian countries," said Zhu, who has paid two visits to the construction site this year.

It will be the university's first branch abroad and, more importantly, the first full-fledged campus that has ever been built by Chinese higher-education institutions in foreign countries.

In recent years, China has set up Confucius Institutes around the world to help other nations better understand Chinese culture and language. But in general, China has mainly been a receiver of educational globalization, with Western institutions rushing to China to open branches.

The XMU Malaysia Campus, with a total investment of 1.3 billion yuan (about 203 million US dollars), is built on an area of 150 acres.

It will offer at least 17 bachelor degree courses, including marine biology and biotechnology, marine environmental science and technology, finance, accounting, traditional Chinese medicine, international business, journalism and communications. It will also offer master degrees and doctoral programs.

Except Chinese studies and traditional Chinese medicine, all the courses will be delivered in English, and the degrees are confirmed by the ministries of education of both countries, Zhu said.

The enrollment will start from 500 students, then grow to 5,000 in 2020 and eventually reach its maximum capacity of 10,000. The teaching staff will comprise professors of XMU and qualified teachers from all over the world.

The cultural and ethnic links between China and Malaysia have helped bring the new campus into reality. Founded by Malaysian Chinese business tycoon Tan Kah Kee in 1921, XMU now repays the favor in history by setting up a new campus in Malaysia, Zhu explained.

Meanwhile, Malaysia stands at a key point along the Maritime Silk Road, and thus can play a unique role in China's Belt and Road Initiative, which consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The campus, which will gather students from Southeast Asia, will certainly contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative, which hinges on regional cooperation and exchanges, said Wang Ruifang, principal of the XMU Malaysian Campus.

It will also help increase the number of people who study the Chinese language and forge a more comprehensive understanding of China in the region, experts believe.

With economic ties between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) growing ever closer, an increasing number of Chinese enterprises have set up companies and carried out investment in these countries.

They are in dire need of professionals who understand the languages and cultures of both sides. Exchanges in education help solve the problem.

Soochow University in east China's Jiangsu Province started even earlier. It opened a branch seven years ago in Vientiane, capital of Laos.

Local students enrolled in the branch have the opportunity to study in the university's headquarters in China for two to three years and acquire degrees recognized by both countries.

There are more than 200 Chinese companies in Laos, and their development was once hindered by the lack of talents due to the sluggish local higher education, said Sun Lei, head of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Laos.

"Soochow University has been helping train talents on our doorstep by setting up a branch here, which is really useful in meeting the pressing need of the Chinese companies," Sun said.