International conference in Kuala Lumpur with keynote by Dr. Niedenführ

The first International Confucianism and Entrepreneurship Forum took place under the motto “A Global Human Community with a Shared Future and the Asian Renaissance”. More than 500 scientists and entrepreneurs from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Canada and Uzbekistan met in Kuala Lumpur from December 12th to 15th, 2024.

Dr. Matthias Niedenführ was invited as keynote speaker and represented the LEIZ on site. At the high-level conference, Dr. Niedenführ reported on ‘Relational and transactional rationalities in Chinese business culture and practice’. As the only European participant, the contribution attracted widespread interest from the national Chinese daily newspapers, in which Dr. Niedenführ and the LEIZ were mentioned several times.

Thanks to Malaysia's current diversity and tolerance, the country offers exciting insights into transcultural cooperation in politics, society and business. Dr. Lim Lian Geok, a teacher at the time, was also involved in efforts to increase acceptance and diversity in the country. In the young Malaysia around 1950, Goek was committed to helping Chinese immigrants, who at the time made up almost half of the Malaysian population. His efforts to preserve Confucian culture and mother tongue met with state restistance, but he remains a symbol of the preservation of cultural diversity. As a tribute to his efforts, the international conference in Malaysia was dedicated to Dr. Goek.

During the conference, numerous interesting discussions were held with scientists and business associations, particularly from China and Malaysia. The aim of exploring cooperation with the ZU and the LEIZ was pursued in these initial talks.