Xi meets Malaysian PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 31, 2023. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Beijing on Friday.

Xi pointed out that the China-Malaysia friendship has a long history, and bilateral relations have always been at the forefront of countries in the region.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Xi said, noting that during Prime Minister Anwar's visit, the two sides reached a consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, which will surely open a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations.

He called on the two sides to make coordinated efforts to advance the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields in the next stage, push for steady and sustained growth of China-Malaysia relations, and inject new impetus into the prosperity and development of the two countries and the region at large.

China's unswerving pursuit of high-standard opening up and Chinese modernization will bring new opportunities for the development of Malaysia and other countries, Xi said, calling on the two sides to continue to raise the level of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance key projects, foster growth areas in the digital economy, green development and new energy, and explore cooperation on people's livelihoods so that China-Malaysia relations will bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Xi stressed that both China and Malaysia belong to Asian civilizations and have benefited from, contributed to, and upheld economic globalization and multilateralism.

"China is ready to work with Malaysia to promote Asian civilizations, uphold strategic independence and the original aspiration of East Asia cooperation, support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality, firmly reject the Cold War mentality and camp confrontation, and jointly build a common home," he noted.

For his part, Anwar spoke highly of the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi.

Malaysia is ready to work with China to ensure the implementation and effectiveness of relevant initiatives and advance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Anwar pointed out that Malaysia opposes camp confrontation and stands against being forced to choose sides. He also said ASEAN, as an independent force, will play an active role in avoiding the escalation of regional tensions. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 31, 2023. [Xinhua/Ding Haitao]