Malaysia, China to strengthen bilateral ties
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and China remain committed to strengthening their bilateral relations despite the change of government in Malaysia.
Malaysia and China agreed that trivial issues should not affect the relations between both countries that go back hundreds of years.
This was the main message conveyed during the courtesy call by the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia, Bai Tian, on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in Parliament on Thursday, said a statement issued by the deputy prime minister’s office yesterday.
Dr Wan Azizah said the relationship between both countries had grown from strength to strength.
“Now we have more robust dealings with each other in the sphere of the nation and also women. We want more empowerment and advancement for women,” she said.
Bai said China and Malaysia had a historical friendship going back many years, dating back to ancient times of Admiral Cheng Ho’s historical visit to the Straits of Malacca.
“Whatever challenges that are taking place in politics, the exchange between the two people will always be there,” he said.
These, he said, were the fundamentals of the relationship between the two nations.
“So let us further strengthen the people-to-people exchanges and cross-cultural communications because if you have more exchanges, you will get to know the beauty of each other’s cultures and beliefs. We can learn from each other so that we can help each other to survive.”
Bai suggested organising exchanges between Malaysian women federations and those in China so that “these sisters can learn from each other”.
He added that China was Malaysia’s largest trading partner while Malaysia remained an important destination for Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) and Chinese tourists.
Dr Wan Azizah said Malaysia would like to increase trade with China in other spheres in addition to existing ones and would like more Chinese tourists to visit the country.
“This is a new government, a new environment in that sense. The change of democracy happened peacefully. The harmony that we show is important.”
Between January and March this year, trade with China increased by 0.3 per cent to reach RM68.94 billion compared with the corresponding period last year. Total exports increased by 0.3 per cent to RM29.18 billion while total imports increased by 0.3 per cent to RM39.75 billion for the same period.