opened. In September 2017, the university was recognized as a Class A institution in the Double First Class University Plan, a Chinese government initiative to cultivate a group of elite Chinese universities into "world-class" institutions by 2050. International cooperation Xiamen University has maintained a global presence since its creation in 1921, attracting students from overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. The institution established an "Overseas Correspondence Courses" program in 1956 and accepted its first foreign students in 1981. Xiamen University now has an extensive portfolio of international collaborations, including an International Cooperative Program for Innovative Talents funded by the China Scholarship Council, and global exchange and cooperation relationships with over 300 universities. It has established 16 Confucius Institutes with partner institutions in 13 countries. In 2011, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak began high-level discussions about creating a Malaysian branch of Xiamen University. Subsequently, in 2015 the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus was established. Known as "XMU Malaysia", the institution has been described as "historic" and is notable as the "first ever large-scale international branch" of a Chinese university. Professor Wang Ruifang was named the first chancellor of XMU Malaysia. On May 23, 2016, Xiamen University sent a delegation to the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan to meet with leadership and professors. The delegation's objective was to discuss the institutions' strategies for commercializing research findings, fostering university-industry collaboration, and encouraging international students to learn about local language and culture. On November 18, 2016, Xiamen University and Cardiff University in Wales, United Kingdom initiated a "strategic partnership" including a program for co-supervision of doctoral students, and £1.2 million in seed funding for "collaborative research projects" to benefit the economy of Wales. Subsequently, a delegation from Cardiff University visited the Xiamen University School of International Relations to explore possible areas of research collaboration and student exchange. In October 2018, Xiamen University hosted the 4th Internet+ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Xiamen University also hosts recurring China study programs for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Eckerd College and Bentley College in USA, and University College Utrecht in the Netherlands. Campuses Main campus (Siming campus) The main campus of XMU is located in Siming District on Xiamen island, covering an area of 167 hectares. It is situated at the foothills of mountains, facing the ocean and surrounded by Xiamen bay. It mainly