Malaysia on China’s vaccine priority list

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been listed as one of the countries to be given priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine from China which will be distributed soon, according to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

In his posting on Facebook yesterday, the premier said the assurance was conveyed to him by China’s outgoing ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian during a farewell visit at the Parliament building the same day.

Muhyiddin said Malaysia had also expressed appreciation for the commitment made by the Chinese government on the matter.

“Bai also expressed his appreciation to the government of Malaysia for giving continuous support in various aspects to the republic, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic hit Wuhan early this year,” he said.

“He considers Malaysia a very close friendly country that is always ready to lend a helping hand when China needs it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin also expressed the government’s appreciation for Bai’s contribution in bringing Malaysia-China bilateral relations to a new height since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1974.

“China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years, with last year’s trade value recorded at RM315.19 billion. China’s investment in Malaysia last year was RM18.25 billion, making the country the 10th largest source of foreign direct investment in Malaysia.

“Malaysia always welcomes more companies from China to make the country a preferred destination for investment, especially in the high-tech industry sector,” Muhyiddin said.

He said the Chinese government also congratulated Malaysia as the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (Apec) which saw the unveiling of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration and the launch of the Putrajaya Vision 2040.

Muhyiddin said the Kuala Lumpur Declaration and the Putrajaya Vision 2040 would be a new aspiration for the Apec community to ensure regional economic growth over the next 20 years.

“I wish all the best to His Excellency Bai Tian who will end his tenure tomorrow and return to Beijing after three years in the country,” Muhyiddin added. - Bernama