Najib and Xi to have bilateral meeting in Boao

BOAO, Hainan: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on his arrival here today for the Boao Forum for Asia 2015 ( BFA).

“Itwill be abriefvisitby thePrime Minister but a very significant one in the context of MalaysiaChina bilateral relations,” said Malaysia’s Ambassador to China, Datuk Zainuddin Yahya.

Najib, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to arrive in Boao, a town located next to the eastern coastal city of Qionghai in Hainan, China today evening.

He will depart for Kuala Lumpur after delivering a speech at the opening plenary on Saturday.

Zainuddin said the bilateral meeting would be the fourth for both leaders.

The last time they met was at the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting last November in Beijing.

“President Xi (Jinping) is also hosting a dinner for the Prime Minister, a testimony of the close relations between Beijing and Putrajaya,” he told Malaysian media here yesterday.

In 2013, Malaysia’s bilateral ties with China was lifted from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership.

Among others, both countries have set a bilateral trade target of US$ 160 billion by 2017.

Last year, total trade between Malaysia and China stood at US$ 102 billion.

The ambassador said Najib is also slated to have pull- aside meetings with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Karim Massimov and The Netherlands, Mark Rutte.

He said Najib’s speech would be along the BFA’s theme of ‘Asia’s Future: Towards a Community of Common Destiny’.

“He is also expected to touch on Asean and its vision as Malaysia holds the chairmanship this year,” Zainuddin said.

Najib’s official delegation includes Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to China, Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Deputy Secretary General for Bilateral Affairs, Datuk Ramlan Ibrahim and Malaysia’s Ambassador to China, Datuk Zainuddin Yahya.

This is Najib’s fifth official visit to China but first to the BFA, which is modelled after the World Economic Forum which is held annually in Davos, Switzerland. BFA has a fixed address in Boao. — Bernama