KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and China have underscored the need for peace to be restored in Myanmar and for a collective development agenda for it, says Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
The Foreign Minister, on a two-day official visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, said China could work together with Asean to play a significant and constructive role to restore democracy in Myanmar, which will be meaningful not only to the country but the entire region.
“We appreciate China’s recognition of Asean’s role and initiatives on this front to lower tensions, stop the violence and avoid further escalation of the situation on the ground, ” he told a joint press conference with Wang Yi in Fujian on Thursday.
Myanmar’s military launched a coup on the morning of Feb 1, hours before Parliament was set to sit and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other senior members of the National League for Democracy.
Anti-coup protesters took to the streets and the crackdown on protesters by the junta raised global concern after more than 500 protesters lost their lives, with the worst bloodshed so far recorded last Saturday with more than 114 people killed.
On the South China Sea, Hishammuddin, who is on his first official visit to China as Foreign Minister, said Malaysia reaffirmed its commitment to pursue dialogue among the parties concerned, in accordance with universally recognised international laws.
“We both agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, ” he said, referring to Malaysia and China.
On Asean, Hishammuddin said both countries welcomed the activities prepared for the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Asean-China Dialogue Relations in 2021 and added that both sides would continue to work closely on the cooperation between China and all Asean member states.
He said Malaysia was willing to work with China to continue to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to bring more benefits to the people of both countries in the post-pandemic period.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the People’s Republic of China on behalf of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Prime Minister and people of Malaysia for the generous contributions and kind assistance rendered to us in our times of need during this pandemic.
“The substantial contributions and health experts sent, greatly assisted Malaysia in facing the most serious public health challenge of our generation, ” he said, adding this clearly reflected the true friendship between Malaysia and China. — Bernama
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