On Feb.18, 2023, the first fellowship event for the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Tan Kah Kee Students was held at JMU, where 110 overseas students gathered to hold talks to strengthen their long-standing friendship. They were not only the Tan Kah Kee Scholarship owners from seven ASEAN countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Philippines and Laos, who are studying in XMU, JMU and Jimei High School, but also international students invited from Bolivia and Korea as well as some domestic students.

Established in 2017, the Tan Kah Kee Scholarship aims to carry out the message conveyed in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s reply letter to Jimei Alumni Association, to publicize the great achievements of Mr. Tan Kah Kee, to inherit and promote the spirit of Tan Kah Kee, and to attract and encourage more outstanding descendants of overseas Chinese to study and pursue further education in Xiamen. Mainly funded by the dividend income of Hong Kong Chiyu Banking Corporation Limited of Jimei School Committee, the scholarship has subsidized overseas Chinese descendants from countries along the “Maritime Silk Road” or students descended from Jimei alumni in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to study in Xiamen, such as XMU, JMU and other seven institutions. Up to now, more than 1,090 ASEAN students have been admitted, of whom 295 have graduated.

The event is hosted by Xiamen Tan Kah Kee Education Foundation and Xiamen Jimei Alumni Association, and co-hosted by JMU, Thai Alumni Association of Jimei School, Thai Tan Kah Kee Students Association, and the ASEAN Education Center (Thailand) of JMU.