From Suriati Sidek Ahmad
BEIJING, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- The state visit of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, to China, which starts today and ends on Sept 22, is highly anticipated by China, said Malaysia’s Ambassador to China Datuk Norman Muhamad.
He noted that this is the first state visit by a Malaysian King to China in 10 years, marking a significant moment for both nations as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
"This is the first state visit in 10 years ... indeed, it has been a long time. We are very pleased to have this visit. China warmly welcomes His Majesty's visit.
"If we consider the timing, this visit was planned rather late. Normally, with China, state visits involve discussions a year in advance, but due to the close relations between Malaysia and China, when we proposed for His Majesty to visit China after his installation, we immediately received a positive response. We just needed to find a suitable time.
“This visit could not have happened at a better time because, as you all know, this year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between Malaysia and China,” he told Bernama.
His Majesty is undertaking the state visit at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, his first to China since ascending the throne as the 17th King of Malaysia on Jan 31, 2024.
His Majesty will be accompanied by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zain, and senior officials from Istana Negara and relevant ministries and agencies.
The King will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, followed by an audience with Xi. The President of China will host a state banquet in honour of His Majesty.
His Majesty has also consented to grant an audience to China's Premier Li Qiang.
His Majesty is also scheduled to attend the naming ceremony of the Chair of Malay Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University in His Majesty’s honour and engage with the Malaysian diaspora during the visit.
Norman said state visits have not been carried out in the past 10 years due to, among other reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic and government changes. This time, it is hoped the visit will maintain the momentum of good relations between Malaysia and China.
He added that bilateral relations with China, particularly since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to the country last year, have seen numerous high-level visits to and from both nations recently.
"These are not 'empty' visits, as many new areas of cooperation have been achieved, especially in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), where China has agreed to offer more placements for Malaysian TVET students to study in China.
“We have also discussed facilitating many aspects of our relations, including granting 30-day visa waivers for Chinese nationals and China granting us 15 days. Recently, Malaysia was also permitted to export fresh durians.
"All these are the results of close diplomatic relations, and we hope His Majesty's visit will maintain the momentum of our relationship in the years to come. We also hope next year, when Malaysia holds the ASEAN chair, there will be a reciprocal visit by the Chinese President,” he said.
He noted that the benchmark of close relations between Malaysia and China is trade relations, with China remaining Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, with total trade reaching RM450.84 billion (US$98.90 billion), contributing to 17.1 per cent of the nation’s global trade.
Trade has continued to grow with the first half of 2024 recording a value of RM234.09 billion (US$49.53 billion) compared to RM214.87 billion (US$48.21 billion) for the corresponding period of 2023.
Additionally, the state visit will also review, among other things, the achievements of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations and cooperation on larger issues.
"For example, the Prime Minister's Malaysia MADANI concept is quite similar to President Xi's concept of a Community of Shared Future (CSF), where Malaysia MADANI shares common values and attributes with CSF, based on innovation, care, compassion, inclusiveness and mutual respect.
"In this regard, Malaysia also wishes to learn from China, especially in eradicating extreme poverty, as China has lifted millions of its people out of hardcore poverty over the decades, which serves as an aspiration for many countries, including Malaysia," he added.
Touching on education cooperation, Norman said Malaysia recognises China as one of the most important partners in higher education, and as of June 2024, a total of 47,937 international students from China were studying in Malaysia, 21,590 of whom are full-time students in Malaysian private universities, while 26,347 are full-time students in public universities.
“For example, China’s Xiamen University opened a branch in Sepang in 2016, where there are currently 7,650 students studying, comprising 4,514 local students and 3,136 international students (2,200 of whom are from China).
“Malaysia welcomes more students from China. We have also cooperated in TVET, which has been pioneered by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during his visit to China,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
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