They don't even need top students from China to compete

The entry requirement is just a pass or C. Unlike the parent campus where it is kinda competitive to get in

And also unlike Nottingham and Monash where they demand several B's including physics and maths into engineering

It is a prestige uni, but sampai malaysia became degree mill hhhmphh

You have a connection to the university?
I have some ex-colleagues that are teaching there now. Considered applying there myself, but was turned off by the distance.

Some points:
- if they are the cream of the crop, why would they study here? and be taught by 80% Malaysians?
- what is their medium of instruction back in China? Is it English? Probably not, but even if it is, Malaysian English is not quite the same. So, can they attract the cream of the crop to learn from lecturers who sound and think differently. Of course, students are willing to learn, but are Malaysian lecturers that attractive?
Western universities won't take them on transfer if their English isn't good enough. Malaysia provides an intermediate ground where we can provide sufficient exposure without being to fussy about the language aspect.

- have you heard a mainland China lecturer speak in English? You may wonder if they are actually speaking English.
Haha, yeah. Not all though. Those XMU professors I met are well-versed in English, probably because they bring over those who have prior experience working in English-speaking countries.

- all universities try to have an active research program, that's what all the rankings are about. Whether they achieve it or not is a different question.
- it's a competitive market in Malaysia, rich students go overseas, the remainder wants the best value for money. Are there enough private fee-paying students?
These are the important questions IMHO. XMU is currently still in its infancy, which means it relies on support from its parent entity and local government benefits. Whether or not they manage to rope in enough customers to maintain their quality in the long run is debatable.

PS: looks like my questions have been answered before I clicked the Submit button.

but we can judge their students graduating from Mainland too... they have strong links to the mainland camput, I heard a number of their lecturers imported from there