Global Times: China-Malaysia ties ushering in new golden era, Xi says

BEIJING, April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China is ready to work with the Malaysian side to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, so as to usher in new "Golden 50 Years" for bilateral ties, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar during a state visit to the country. Prior to their meeting, Sultan Ibrahim held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi.

During the meeting, Xi pointed out that China and Malaysia are good neighbors, good friends and good partners who visit each other as often as family. Bilateral relations have gone through a magnificent half-century and are embracing an even brighter future, he added.

Sultan Ibrahim said he believes that Xi's visit will comprehensively upgrade bilateral relations and promote vigorous development of cooperation in various fields, adding that China's impressive development achievements are attributable to the foresight of President Xi and the hard work of the Chinese people.

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Xi said he is ready to work with Anwar to boost the high-level and strategic development of China-Malaysia community with a shared future. During the meeting, Xi put forward a three-point proposal on building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with shared future, Xinhua reported.

First, Xi urged the two countries to adhere to strategic independence and carry out high-level strategic coordination. Second, both countries should build synergy for development and set a model for high-quality development cooperation, Xi said. Third, Xi called for both sides to carry forward their friendship from generation to generation and deepen exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, according to Xinhua.

Following the talks, China and Malaysia exchanged more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents, covering cooperation in areas such as the three global initiatives, digital economy, trade in services, upgrading and development of "two countries, two parks," joint laboratories, artificial intelligence, railways, intellectual property rights, agricultural products exports to China, mutual visa exemption and panda conservation, according to Xinhua.

Xi arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for a state visit, the second leg of his three-nation Southeast Asia tour. The Chinese President's visit to the country, his second in the past 12 years, has drawn warm welcomes and positive reactions from all sectors of Malaysian society.

Key outcomes

"President Xi's visit brings key outcomes at a critical moment. The interactions between Chinese and Malaysian leaders signify the deepening of mutual political trust," Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific and a former minister of transport of Malaysia, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "It also marks the success of China's neighborhood diplomacy."

During the meeting with Sultan Ibrahim on Wednesday morning, Xi said that the two sides should deepen the synergy of development strategies, draw on each other's strengths for mutual benefit and win-win results, and jointly pursue modernization.

He called on the two sides to ensure good implementation of major projects such as the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" program and the East Coast Rail Link, and to actively foster cooperation in future industries such as artificial intelligence, digital economy and the green economy, according to Xinhua.

China welcomes more high-quality Malaysian agricultural products to the Chinese market, and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Malaysia, Xi said.

Also during meeting with Anwar, Xi urged joint efforts to resist decoupling, supply chain disruptions, "small yard with high fences" and arbitrary imposition of tariffs with openness, inclusiveness, unity and cooperation.

He also called for responding to the law of the jungle with Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, and responding to the unstable and uncertain world with stable and certain Asia. Xi added that China stands ready to work with countries in the region to sign the upgrade protocol of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area at an early date.

Anwar said that ASEAN will not endorse any unilaterally imposed tariffs, and will promote collective advancement through cooperation to maintain economic growth. Facing the rise of unilateralism, Malaysia is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to jointly address risks and challenges, Anwar added.

In 2024, China-Malaysia trade reached $212 billion, and China has been Malaysia's No.1 trading partner for 16 consecutive years. In terms of investment cooperation, to date, the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park has received a total investment of over 11 billion yuan, according to official Chinese data.

Many in Malaysia have praised growing ties between China and Malaysia and have expressed earnest hope for greater trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Zariman, a resident in Kuala Lumpur who has conducted businesses with China in areas such as durian exports, was watching live television coverage of the welcome ceremony at the National Palace on a small screen on the dashboard of his car on Wednesday morning.

He told the Global Times that he has been paying great attention to the state visit because he believes China-Malaysia cooperation is so important. "It's important that in trade… everyone should benefit. All the countries have their sovereignty and there should be mutual respect," he said, adding that threatening other countries "is uncivilized in the modern world."

Successful example

Ong said that deepening and implementing the China-Malaysia community with a shared future not only benefits the two countries, but it has also set a successful example for the economic integration of China and ASEAN, and the building of a community with a shared future between China and ASEAN in the future. 

During the meeting with Sultan Ibrahim, Xi said that China supports Malaysia in its role as ASEAN chair and stands ready to work with Malaysia to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, according to Xinhua.

Malaysia holds the chairmanship of ASEAN this year and "can play a pivotal role in coordinating and connecting ASEAN member states' interactions with China," Ong said, adding that China-ASEAN cooperation can go beyond the existing economic and trade partnership, further deepen the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and they cooperate in the promotion of China's three major global initiatives in Southeast Asia, in conjunction with the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision.

Zhong Feiteng, a researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the remarkably positive reaction to the state visit demonstrates the growing international image of China as a defender of fairness and justice, and a promotor of peace and development amid certain global conflicts and growing trade tensions.

"China stands on the side of international fairness and justice… and the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative are in line with the actual needs of Malaysia," Zhong told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Ong said that China's approach of neighborhood diplomacy is conducive to regional development and peace.

"Building a community with a shared future is an integral part of China's neighborhood diplomacy, rooted in the principles of amity, sincerity, [mutual benefit] and inclusiveness. It goes far beyond sheer economics. It constitutes a multi-dimensional partnership allowing good neighborliness to create a conducive environment for economic development. The prosperity accrued therefrom will further bolster peace across the region," Ong said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1332263.shtml

SOURCE Global Times