KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has viewed China not only as a major economic partner but also as a strategic collaborator in advancing sustainable and resilient development for the region, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Malaysia welcomed deeper engagement with China in green investments, innovation and technology transfer that supported climate action while creating meaningful economic opportunities for the people.
“One important area of growing collaboration was green energy and the green economy.
“As both Malaysia and China pursued low-carbon and climate-resilient development, cooperation in renewable energy, electric mobility, energy efficiency and green technology became a key pillar of our bilateral relationship,” he said in his speech at a Chinese New Year reception hosted by the embassy of China in Malaysia on Friday (Feb 6).
The event was also attended by Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul and China’s ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing.
Fadillah noted China remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner, with economic ties continuing to expand in both scale and quality.
“Beyond traditional trade, our cooperation increasingly focused on future-oriented and high-value sectors that would shape sustainable growth in the years ahead,” he added.
On tourism, the Deputy Prime Minister said China had long been one of Malaysia’s most important tourism markets and Malaysia was encouraged by the strong recovery in travel and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
“As Malaysia prepared for Visit Malaysia Year 2026, we warmly invited our friends from China to experience Malaysia once again – our cultural diversity, natural beauty, rich heritage and renowned hospitality,” he added.
He noted human connections, including friendships between communities, students, entrepreneurs and future generations, formed the strongest foundation of Malaysia-China bilateral ties.
Quoting the well-known Chinese saying “Tong Zhou Gong Ji”, which meant those who sailed in the same boat had to help one another across the river, Fadillah said the timeless wisdom reflected the spirit of Malaysia-China relations.
He added cooperation between the two countries was guided not only by shared interests but by mutual respect, trust and a collective commitment to progress.
Meanwhile, Fadillah said as Malaysia and China celebrated the Lunar New Year together, both countries were reminded that in an increasingly complex global environment, strong partnerships anchored in dialogue, harmony and mutual benefit were more important than ever.
“Malaysia remained firmly committed to working closely with China to promote regional stability, sustainable development and shared prosperity, in line with the principles of ASEAN cooperation and multilateralism,” he said. – Bernama
