KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 70 Malaysian undergraduates learnt about the history of Malaysia–China relations and tried making zongzi (rice dumplings) at the Chinese Embassy’s Open Day here.
The programme introduced students to historical links between the two countries and the Dragon Boat Festival, as part of efforts to strengthen people-to-people ties.
The Open Day, held on Thursday (June 11) in conjunction with the 52nd anniversary of diplomatic ties, was attended by students from Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), as well as Malaysian and Chinese media representatives.
Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing said China and Malaysia were now entering a new phase of cooperation after more than five decades of diplomatic relations.
“We have completed the first 50 years since China and Malaysia established diplomatic relations, and now we are moving into the next 50,” he said.
He described the relationship between the two countries as “very strong” and said ties had entered a new stage following President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia last year, when both sides agreed to build a high-level China–Malaysia community with a shared future.
“At the government level, ties are very close. Last year alone, President Xi paid a state visit to Malaysia, Premier Li Qiang visited Malaysia twice, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim visited China,” he said.
Economic links also expanded, with bilateral trade reaching about US$200bil (RM814bil), while investment and people-to-people exchanges continued to grow.
“Last year, about 4.77 million Chinese visitors came to Malaysia, including Chinese business and government delegations. These figures show how close our relationship is, especially in people-to-people contact,” he said.
Ouyang also highlighted the long history of contact between the two societies, pointing to early links dating back more than a thousand years.
He cited the journeys of Buddhist monk Yijing during the Tang Dynasty and Admiral Zheng He’s multiple visits to Melaka during the Ming Dynasty as examples of early exchanges across the seas.
“Over the past 52 years since diplomatic ties were established in 1974, China and Malaysia have been trusted brothers, close friends, good neighbours and reliable partners.
“We have helped each other in times of need, pursued common development, treated each other with sincerity and worked closely together in multilateral forums,” he said.
He said that under the “strategic guidance” of the leaders of both countries, political trust had deepened, economic cooperation had produced “win-win” results and people-to-people exchanges had intensified.
“In 2026, as China begins its 15th Five-Year Plan and Malaysia embarks on the 13th Malaysia Plan, China will continue to work closely with Malaysia to implement the important consensus reached by our leaders and further advance the building of a high-level China–Malaysia community with a shared future.
“Hand in hand, we will bring more benefits to our people and help keep our region stable and progressive,” he said.
On culture, he said the Dragon Boat Festival – widely celebrated in Malaysia – was an example of how traditions could take root in different societies.
He noted that customs such as making rice dumplings (zongzi) and dragon boat racing had been preserved while also taking on local characteristics.
As part of the Open Day activities, the embassy prepared ingredients and facilities for guests to make and taste zongzi.
The ambassador added that the embassy would continue to support youth exchanges and academic cooperation between Malaysia and China.
“We believe that, under the guidance of our leaders, China–Malaysia relations will continue to move forward smoothly and reach an even higher level,” he said.
