China vice-president arrives for four-day official visit

SEPANG: China’s Vice-President, Han Zheng, has arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday (Nov 8) for a four-day official visit.

The special aircraft carrying Han touched down at about 7.15pm Wednesday at the Bunga Raya Complex of the KL International Airport (KLIA) and he was welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin and China's Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing.

While in Malaysia, Han is scheduled to have an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at Istana Negara.

He is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and attend a welcoming dinner hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Wisma Putra in a statement issued in conjunction with Han’s visit said among matters that will be discussed are bilateral, regional and international issues that are of mutual interest; cooperation in the halal industry; the Palestine-Israel conflict and the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations which will be celebrated in 2024.

For over a decade, China has stood as Malaysia’s largest trading partner. In 2022, the total trade between Malaysia and China reached RM487.13bil (US$110.62bil), reflecting a 15.6% increase from 2021.

China also emerged as the largest foreign direct investor in Malaysia for 2022, with investments amounting to RM55.4bil (US$12.5bil). - Bernama