Malaysia, China to take ties to 'even higher level'

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) — The foreign ministers of Malaysia and China met, agreeing to take "ties to an even higher level," the ministry in the Southeast Asian nation said on Wednesday.

In a series of tweets, Malaysian Foreign Ministry said Zambry Abd Kadir had agreed with China's Qin Gang to leverage the 10th anniversary of the "comprehensive strategic partnership" between the two countries in 2023 and the 50th year of diplomatic relations in 2024.

The duo met in Beijing on Tuesday night.

Kadir, it added, highlighted that his country welcomed China's concept of "Community of a Shared Future for Mankind" which promotes openness, inclusiveness, and mutual respect as the concept is consistent with "Malaysia Madni," or Civilizational Malaysia.

A readout from Beijing quoted Qin saying: "China and Malaysia should further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, unite to deal with risks and challenges, and contribute more to international and regional peace, stability, development and prosperity."

"It is necessary to deepen high-quality cooperation, do a good job in the top-level design of cooperation, accelerate the promotion of key projects, and explore more cooperation in the fields of new energy vehicles, digital economy, semiconductors, and agriculture," the Chinese foreign minister told his Malaysian counterpart.

Qin said it was "necessary" for China and Malaysia "to strengthen strategic coordination, adhere to open regionalism, practice true multilateralism, safeguard international fairness and justice, and jointly safeguard the long-term interests of developing countries and emerging economies."

The meeting came ahead of a planned visit by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's first visit to China amid efforts to reinvigorate ties with the world's most populous nation in the post-coronavirus era.

During his three-day visit, Anwar will be received by President Xi Jinping and meet with Prime Minister Li Qiang to discuss bilateral cooperation, including in trade, investment, and food security, said a statement by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.

The Anwar-led Malaysian delegation reached China on Wednesday.

Set to be one of the first world leaders to visit China after Xi's re-appointment as president earlier this month, Anwar will arrive in Beijing on Thursday evening after attending an annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia on March 28-31 in Boao, a coastal town in China's island province of Hainan.

"The visit is expected to fortify economic relations, which will surely result in greater trade and investment flows," the statement said.

Beijing has been Kaula Lumpur's largest trading partner since 2009, with total trade between the two countries reaching $110 billion in 2022.

China was also the top investor in Malaysia last year, contributing 21% of total investment in the Southeast Asian nation.