LIANYUNGANG: Malaysia, which enjoys warm and strong relations with China, hopes to see the bond between the two countries be further strengthened, especially with President Xi Jinping’s visit to the country, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted China’s strong commitment towards Malaysia and hoped for the relations to continue to be developed.
While he did not indicate when Xi’s visit would take place, Ahmad Zahid said Chinese officials would determine the most suitable time for the visit.
Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim invited Xi and China’s Premier Li Qiang to visit Malaysia to commemorate five decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In June, Li was in Malaysia, his first trip to the country since assuming the post in March last year.
His visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, following the signing of a joint communique between then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and then Chinese premier Chou En Lai on May 31, 1974.
Ahmad Zahid was in China in May for the golden jubilee celebration of Malaysia-China bilateral relations.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail held discussions with China’s Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong on the sidelines of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum.
This is his third meeting with Wang since 2022.
“Our discussions include possible collaboration on how we can tackle common issues together, particularly on matters involving transnational crime,” he said in a statement to the Malaysian media.
Ahmad Zahid said that both countries agreed to continue cooperation in several areas, including joint exercises and exchange of senior enforcement and security officials.
