CHINESE PREMIER'S VISIT A STAMP OF APPROVAL TOWARDS KUALA LUMPUR'S GOOD FRIENDSHIP

By Rohani Mohd Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- China’s Premier Li Qiang's official visit to Malaysia is “a stamp of approval from Beijing” towards Kuala Lumpur for being “a good friend through thick and thin” for the past 50 years, said a fellow at the National Council of Professors, Prof Dr Azmi Hassan.

He said Malaysia and China's relation is “a model of a relation between a small nation and super power”.

“Despite Malaysia being considered a small nation and China a big power, the relation has managed to produce a win-win situation,” he said when appearing as a guest on The Nation programme titled "Building Bridges: Malaysia and China", broadcast on Bernama TV on Wednesday.

Another guest on the programme, Dr Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said Malaysia and China have done very well in trade and investment, with tremendous trade volume recorded over the years.

Regarding the South China Sea dispute, both countries do not let territorial issues overshadow their bilateral relationship, he added.

Oh said both countries should now look forward to more cooperation in the high technology industry, artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles, and closer people-to-people interactions.

On the news of Malaysia planning to join the BRICS group, he said such a move can enable Malaysia to attract investment from large economies.

However, Malaysia must be proactive and engage with China and Brazil to tap these markets and cannot simply wait for investment to come into the country, Oh added.

Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Department of International and Strategic Studies Deputy Head Dr Lam Choong Wah, who was also a guest on the same programme, said Malaysia and China enjoy a robust relationship and share similar views on issues like Israel's attacks on Palestine and climate change.

In the context of China and US political tensions, “Malaysia managed to be independent to avoid being caught and not being seen as taking side,” he said. 

According to him, this neutral position has benefitted Malaysia with participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) led by the United States and the Belt and Road Initiative led by China.

Earlier, in a separate programme, China Global Television Network (CGTN) presenter Wang MangMang, appearing on Bernama World, said economic partnership has always served as the main pillar of Malaysia-China bilateral relations.

“Economic partnership is likely to continue to be the best bedrock in Malaysia-China’s future cooperation,” she said. 

According to Wang, on this 50-year mark of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, it is important to remember how the deepening and lasting relationship started.

The journey these two countries have travelled together has had and will continue to have a regional impact.

-- BERNAMA