Malaysia and China should work together to build a community with a shared future, Xi says

President Xi Jinping of China met with Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, in Beijing on Thursday. He encouraged the two countries to use the 50th anniversary of their bilateral ties to strengthen the China-Malaysia community and build a bright future together.

Xi said that China and Malaysia are beneficial neighbors, friends, and partners. He also said that the two countries have kept up close exchanges and interactions at all levels and pushed for high-quality, mutually beneficial cooperation on all fronts since Anwar’s first trip to China in March of last year, after becoming prime minister.

This has helped the people of both countries in real ways. Xi said that both China and Malaysia are at crucial points in their national growth and renewal. “The two sides should take the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the China-Malaysia Year of Friendship as an opportunity to work together for a more concrete China-Malaysia community with a shared future to help each other achieve their development goals and to make new and greater contributions to regional prosperity and stability,” Xi said.

Xi told them to build a high-level strategic partnership, keep up close high-level talks, share more information about how to run a government, build trust in politics, and strongly support each other on problems that are important to both of them. He said that China backs Malaysia’s decision to maintain its strategic independence and choose a growth path that works for its country.

Xi asked both countries to work together on their development plans in a way that benefits both, continue to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, work together on big projects like “Two Countries, Twin Parks,” encourage new areas of cooperation in areas like the digital economy, AI, and new energy, and look into setting up ways to exchange and work together to reduce poverty.

Malaysia is welcome to use the China International Import Expo to bring more high-quality and unique products to China, Xi said. He also said that China is ready to strengthen ties between the two countries’ peoples and increase exchanges and cooperation in areas such as higher education, culture, tourism, youth, and local government.

Xi said that as important leaders of developing and emerging economies in Asia, China and Malaysia should work together more on international and regional issues, communicate and support each other more, fight protectionism together, push for trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, support an equal and orderly multipolar world and economic globalization that benefits everyone, work to reform and improve the global governance system, and protect international fairness, justice, and the common interests of developing countries.

China backs Malaysia’s bid to lead the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year. Xi also said that China supports ASEAN’s centrality and strategic freedom to keep regional cooperation in development at the forefront. Anwar praised President Xi’s important ideas and plans, saying that they showed wisdom and a sense of responsibility for the progress of human civilization and the well-being of people.

He said that these ideas and plans represented the hopes and dreams of everyone in the Global South. He said that the Malaysian government wants to work together with China more in areas like energy, the digital economy, and information technology. One of Anwar’s points of view was that Malaysia and China agree on many important international and regional problems.

He also said that Malaysia is committed to strategic independence and is ready to continue working closely with China to help protect peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the area.