CULTURE exchanges between our two countries are growing vigorously. The four famous Chinese classical literature have been translated and published in Malay edition.
Beijing has succeeded in its bid to hold the 2022 Winter Olympic Games during the 128th Session of the International Olympic Committee, which was held in Kuala Lumpur in July 2015.
The first overseas branch of famous Chinese universities, Xiamen University (Malaysia), has completed the first phase of its construction and enrollment of students have begun.
The university is expected to become the dazzling pearl along the “21st century Maritime Silk Road” in the future.
The Chinese Cultural Centre will begin its operation in Kuala Lumpur in the near future. China has set up new Consulates General in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and Penang, while Malaysia has established new Consulates General in Nanning and Xi’an.
The Malaysian government has provided electronic visa service to Chinese tourists, and the China Visa Office in Penang has been in operation. All these measures have further facilitated personnel exchanges between our two countries.
China has become the largest source of tourists to Malaysia. This year, we are expecting about three million tourists from China, who would contribute RM15 billion to Malaysia’s revenue.
The giant pandas Xing Xing and Liang Liang are the symbol of friendship between our two nations. Their baby, named Nuan Nuan (meaning “warm” in Mandarin) by the Malaysian people, is also a reflection of the warm friendship between our peoples.
Security cooperation has been further enhanced to jointly tackle common challenges. The “Peace and Friendship” joint military exercises between China and Malaysia had been held successfully to accumulate experiences on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief cooperation.
During Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s visit to China last year, Malaysia had agreed to buy four naval vessels from China. Both sides signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation, which brought mutual trust between the two militaries to a new high.
China and Malaysia have also ratified the treaty on criminal justice assistance and are negotiating the treaty on extradition. The cooperation mechanism on law enforcement and security between the two countries has been regularly strengthened, and cooperation in areas of countering terrorism, crackdown on telecommunications fraud, anti-drug and cybersecurity have been enhanced.
On cooperation in regional and international affairs, the two sides have maintained good communications and coordination in multilateral organisations, such as the United Nations, effectively safeguarding the common interests of developing countries.
This is especially so when Malaysia chaired the 27th Asean Summit in 2015, where China and Malaysia had cooperated well under the frameworks, such as China-Asean and Asean+3, to promote the relationship between China and Asean countries, to support the building of the Asean Community, to promote the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, and to promote the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and negotiations on Code of Conduct, jointly playing a constructive role in the maintenance of regional peace and stability.
Looking back at the development of China-Malaysia relations in the past four years, I deeply appreciate that the leaders of the two countries have been far-sighted and determined to elevate bilateral relations.
The five principles of peaceful coexistence, and the common values of moderation and harmony, have formed the fundamental pillars of strategic mutual trust between our two nations.
Equality, mutual benefit and win-win are the permanent driving forces for sustainable development of our bilateral relationship.
Deep affections between our people provide the most solid foundation for the friendship to grow from generation to generation. Currently, China is striving for the “Two Centenary Goals” and the China Dream of Great Rejuvenation, while Malaysia is also committed to its Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50).
To seek common development through mutual beneficial cooperation not only serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and peoples, but also is the common objective we work hand in hand to achieve.
The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held in Beijing on Oct 18, which will be crucial for China’s future development and external relations.
China is ready to work with Malaysia to continue to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, to make full use of the platforms provided by the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the global cooperation on production capacity, to promote exchanges and cooperation in all fields, and to further push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia to another level.
As the old Chinese saying goes: “Hundreds of thousands of rivers converge into the immense ocean, set sail when the wind is positive.”
After four decades of the golden era of bilateral relations of mutual trust and benefit, the relationship between our two nations is now embarking on the “four decades of the diamond” and moving together towards a common destiny. I expect and believe there will be more and more people carrying forward the traditional friendship and devoting themselves to the course of China-Malaysia cooperation, opening a new chapter of friendly relations between our two countries.
The comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia will enjoy an even stronger momentum of development in the future. China-Malaysia relations will be better and splendid in the future!
Dr Huang Huikang is China’s ambassador to Malaysia