A Great Honour: President Xi To Host Dinner For PM Anwar

From Massita Ahmad

SHANGHAI, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will receive a great honour since Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed to host a dinner for him at The Great Hall of People in Beijing on Nov 7.

"This is a great honour for Malaysia because these two leaders are not on the same level...not equal," Malaysian Ambassador to Beijing Datuk Norman Muhamad said in a press conference in conjunction with the prime minister's visit to the country.

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Anwar is expected to arrive in Shanghai tonight, his first stop before going to Beijing, to begin a four-day working visit to China.

"This is a working visit for the prime minister. He will meet Xi who is the head of state whereas our prime minister is the head of government. To be the head of state and to ‘host’ the head of government is indeed an honour," he explained.

He added that the dinner for an official visit would usually be organised by the respective counterpart.

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The Prime Minister is expected to depart to Beijing, his final destination during the official working visit, on Nov 6, and is expected to pay a courtesy call on Presiden Xi, in the Chinese capital.

According to Norman, in Shanghai, Malaysia would also be honoured as the "Country of honour" at the seventh China International Import Expo (7th CIIE) where Anwar has been given the honour to speak immediately after his counterpart Li Qiang speaks before being followed by five other countries.

"The honour was given for two reasons, firstly for Malaysia, China is the largest trading partner and also to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.

"We see it as the conclusion of a series of programmes held between Malaysia and China," he said.

Anwar will be on a working visit to China from Nov 4 to 7, 2024, at the invitation of his counterpart Li to attend the 7th CIIE in Shanghai.

While in Shanghai, the Prime Minister, among others, is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Li to discuss bilateral relations following their meeting in Putrajaya on June 19, 2024, as well as exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

CIIE is an initiative of the Chinese Government to provide a platform for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to promote and export goods and services to China.

Anwar will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Minister of Human Resources Steven Sim Chee Keong.

This trip marks the third visit to China for Anwar, as the prime minister made his maiden visit to China in March 2023, followed by September of the same year.

However, this is his first official visit to Shanghai.

-- BERNAMA