Indonesia Eyes Expanded STEM Opportunities Through Central South University

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian Ambassador to China and Mongolia, Djauhari Oratmangun, has called for greater opportunities for Indonesian students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at Central South University (CSU) in Hunan Province.

He emphasized that such programs align closely with Indonesia’s current development priorities, particularly in human resource advancement and industrial downstreaming.

“I am pleased to meet and speak directly with representatives of Central South University, which has an excellent reputation in fields such as metallurgy, advanced materials, transportation, and medicine,” Djauhari said during his meeting with CSU Council Chair An Shi, as quoted by Antara.

Established in 2020 through the merger of Hainan Medical University, Changsha Railway University, and Central South University of Technology, CSU is a government-affiliated institution with strong academic credentials.

Djauhari noted that sending young Indonesian government employees to study STEM at CSU would strengthen Indonesia’s talent pool and support national development goals.

Currently, around 20,000 Indonesian students are enrolled in universities across China, a number the ambassador believes will continue to grow. “I am confident that the presence of Indonesian students at CSU will increase, especially as the government seeks to expand STEM expertise,” he added.

CSU itself hosts approximately 36,000 undergraduate and 26,000 postgraduate students, including 2,200 international students.

According to An Shi, the university excels in mineral resource development, metallurgy, and rail transport technology, and is home to the Xiangya School of Medicine, a historic center of modern medical education in China.

In the 2025 Soft Science Ranking, CSU’s mining program was ranked first globally, metallurgy second, and mechanical engineering among the world’s top programs.

Nationally, disciplines such as mineral processing, metallurgy, mining engineering, and materials science hold A+ rankings. An Shi further noted that 534 CSU faculty members were listed among the world’s most influential scientists by Stanford University, placing CSU seventh in mainland China.

One Indonesian student currently at CSU, M. Apriansyah, is pursuing a master’s degree in renewable energy. Fluent in Mandarin, he expressed hopes of contributing to Indonesia’s technological and innovation landscape upon returning home.

“I also hope to serve as a bridge between Indonesia and China for future collaboration,” he said.

Beyond education, Indonesia remains Hunan’s second-largest trading partner in Southeast Asia. In 2025, bilateral trade reached USD 3.23 billion, driven largely by Hunan’s exports of “three new” products -- electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic panels --which surged by 724 percent in the first eleven months of the year. ***