MALAYSIA-CHINA BILATERAL MEETING DISCUSSES REGIONAL GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES, EXPANDING TRADE TIES

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- The bilateral meeting of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his China counterpart Li Qiang together with the delegations of the two countries today discussed regional geopolitical issues and those related to common interests.

These include potential ASEAN-China cooperation under Malaysia's chairmanship next year, the One China Policy and the situation in the South China Sea, Anwar said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), here.  

"I expressed the need for China to play a role in the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, in addition to expressing my appreciation for China's firm support for Palestine.

"I also took the opportunity to invite President Xi Jinping to pay an official visit to Malaysia as soon as possible," Anwar said after the two leaders led the Malaysian and Chinese government delegations in a bilateral meeting for over an hour.

He said both of them are also on the same page to continue to strengthen the close friendship between the two countries, based on shared values ​​under the MADANI concept and 'Community of the Future Together'.

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, welcomed more strategic partnerships and high-value investments to Malaysia as a continuation of last year's investment performance, where 64 investments from China worth US$2.6 billion were approved involving nearly 10,000 new job opportunities.

"Our discussion was also on the potential of expanding trade relations between the two countries. China remains Malaysia's largest trading partner for the past 15 years.

"The meeting also touched on the progress of projects between the two countries such as the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), High-Tech Automotive Valley as well as several other areas that have the potential to be explored together including electric vehicles (EVs), tourism, agriculture, digital economy, education and technology," said the Prime Minister.

Anwar also expressed his appreciation for the meaningful visit of the Chinese delegation to Malaysia in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

Li arrived in the country last night to begin a three-day official visit, which is also his first visit to the country since taking office in March last year.

-- BERNAMA