SEPANG: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has joined the pit lane walk ahead of the Formula One (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit (SIC), which will be held from today until Sunday.
Accompanying Anwar at SIC were Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif and Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) chief executive Sheikh Salman Isa Al Khalifa.
Anwar arrived at about 3.30pm and was received by SIC and BIC management before being taken on a tour of the pit area, followed by a meeting with representatives of both circuits.
After visiting the paddock area, the Prime Minister proceeded to the entrance of the “mall area” to inspect preparations and facilities ahead of the arrival of fans today.
He also watched a rehearsal by the Royal Malay Regiment Central Band and Bahrain Police Band, besides mingling with volunteers involved in the race, Bernama reported.
SIC was selected as the venue for the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, making the iconic circuit a temporary host for the prestigious Bahrain race.
Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian GP at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 before the race was dropped from the F1 calendar.
Earlier in a separate event, Anwar praised outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing for his commitment and contributions towards strengthening ties and cooperation between the two countries.
The Prime Minister said he conveyed his appreciation when he received a farewell courtesy call from Ouyang yesterday.
“Malaysia and China have built strong ties in various fields, including the economy, technology, education and culture,” he said in a post on X.
Anwar said strategic cooperation in areas such as the East Coast Rail Link, 5G technology, artificial intelligence, ports and the rare earth industry had also opened up new opportunities for mutual benefit.
During the meeting, Anwar also received a special gift from Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the form of a book on Hangzhou, which he had recently visited and which is Li’s hometown.
Ouyang highlighted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia in April as ushering in a new phase in bilateral relations, which he described as the “Golden 50 Years” of Malaysia-China ties.
Economic cooperation remained a key feature of the relationship, with bilateral trade increasing from US$131.16bil in 2020 to nearly US$200bil last year, according to Ouyang.
China has also remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years.
People-to-people exchanges also expanded during his tenure, with Ouyang saying Malaysia recorded 4.66 million Chinese tourist arrivals last year, while China received nearly 2.36 million Malaysian visitors.
He also noted an increase in Chinese students in Malaysia, from 3,820 to more than 73,000.
At another event, United States Aerospace Company, SpaceX donated 50 units of Starlink kits to Anwar to support Malaysia’s disaster preparedness.
Anwar said the contribution was presented by a SpaceX delegation that made a courtesy call on him at the Perdana Putra Building in Putrajaya, which was also attended by Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
Anwar said the meeting on Wednesday, among other things, discussed efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation through Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by the company, with a specific focus on expanding network access to residents in rural areas.
“I appreciate Starlink’s role in supporting the government’s efforts to expand coverage and improve the quality of internet access through the National Digital Network, including in rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak as well as Orang Asli settlements in the peninsula,” he said in a Facebook post.
