Leaders of both countries treasure the relationship tremendously and aspire to bring it to greater heights.

Anwar Ibrahim’s four-day official visit to China has been a resounding success.

Both Malaysia and China treasure this visit, the first by Anwar since he became prime minister. After the visit, he wrote on Facebook that he found it unbelievable to have been accorded excellent reception and attention by the Chinese authorities, and felt it was a very positive development for both countries.

Indeed, it has been proven that the visit has been extremely fruitful for Malaysia. Notably, the prime minister even wrote 谢谢你 (thank you) in Chinese as a token of appreciation for Beijing’s marvelous reception.

There are two major bonuses in Anwar’s China visit: promote closer trade cooperation favorable to economic development, and to strengthen bilateral relationship and friendship between the two countries.

Where bilateral trade is concerned, Malaysian and Chinese businesses signed a total of 19 MoUs totaling RM170 billion during Anwar’s visit. This amount should inject a new lease of life into the sluggish national economy and create tens of thousands of new job opportunities.

In recent years the global economy has been bogged down by the dual disasters of coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Slowing growth and spiraling inflation have aggravated the financial burden of many a Malaysian.

Indeed the country needs a powerful booster to take the country back onto the path of growth, and the RM170 billion MoUs should have a catalytic effect to take the country out of the doldrums.

Although this RM170 billion is yet to be actual investments at this very juncture, with the MoUs now inked, it means the Chinese are confident of Malaysia’s potential. As long as all parties involved diligently follow up and coordinate, we can turn this black-and-white into materialized investments that will benefit the nation and society.

For decades Malaysia has been maintaining a very close trade relationship with China, which has been our largest trading partner for 14 years in a row.

Last year, bilateral trade topped RM487.1 billion, about 17.1% of Malaysia’s total external trade. Anwar’s visit is poised to strengthen further trade cooperation between Malaysia and China, creating a win-win situation for both countries.

Meanwhile, the visit will also help promote closer ties between the people of both countries.

Countries that Anwar has visited since he became prime minister are mostly Asean member states, with the notable exceptions of Turkey and Saudi Arabia. China is the first country outside this region for Anwar.

The PM said he had chosen China as his first extra-regional destination because it is our neighbor as well as a very important economy and trading partner. This shows how much Anwar values the country’s relationship with Beijing.

Chinese president Xi Jinping says Malaysia is the first Asean country to have established diplomatic ties with China, and the ties between the two countries have developed to be among the strongest in the region.

Xi has also said 2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, while next year will usher in the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties.

This shows that the leaders of both countries treasure the relationship tremendously and aspire to bring it to greater heights.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2024, Anwar has extended his invitation to Xi and Chinese premier Li Qiang to visit Malaysia next year.

Additionally, Anwar has also told Xi he welcomes Tsinghua University to set up its first branch campus in Malaysia.

As the world’s second largest economy, China is also a very important trading partner for Malaysia. PM Anwar’s visit to China has not only registered a major breakthrough in trade and economy but has also consolidated the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

Pursuant to the visit, it is hoped that our friendship and trade exchanges with China will continue to deepen to benefit the people of both countries.