BEIJING, April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his visit to Vietnam and arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for a state visit to Malaysia.
He was warmly welcomed by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
In a written statement upon his arrival at the airport, Xi said he expected to take his visit as an opportunity to further deepen the bilateral traditional friendship and strengthen political mutual trust, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi called on the two sides to promote cooperation in modernization endeavors, jointly enhance exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and continuously elevate the building of a China–Malaysia community with a shared future to new heights.
He expressed hope that, with the joint efforts of China and Malaysia, his visit will yield fruitful outcomes, opening a new historic chapter of good-neighborly friendship and mutual benefit between the two countries, and ushering in a new “Golden 50 Years” for bilateral relations.
Experts said Xi’s visit to Malaysia transcends bilateral ties, as strengthened China–Malaysia relations promise substantial benefits for both countries while also advance regional economic integration and multilateral collaboration. This assumes particular importance especially in today’s intricate and volatile geopolitical landscape, they said.
‘Open a new historic chapter’
The warm welcome for the Chinese President’s arrival was visible on several main streets of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. At a section of the Jalan Tun Razak, China’s five-starred red flag, alongside the Malaysian national flag, was flying high over traffic.
The state visit was also in the headlines of major Malaysian media outlets. “It will certainly be the country’s most high-profile visit by a foreign head of state,” Bernama, Malaysia’s official news agency, said in a report on Sunday, adding that the visit marks a major milestone in China–Malaysia relations.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, President Xi will meet with King Sultan Ibrahim and hold talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the visit.
The expectation for greater cooperation between China and Malaysia was also palpable in dialogues with local residents. On Tuesday morning, construction work was in full swing at the Gombak station of the East Coast Railway Project (ECRL) in Malaysia, which is a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative jointly built by China and Malaysia. With machines roaring constantly and a crane moving periodically, the bustling scene at the site offered a snapshot of the vitality of China–Malaysia bilateral cooperation.
Ridzuan, a Malaysian technical engineer at China Communications Construction Co working at the ECRL’s Gombak station project, told the Global Times that the project has not only brought employment opportunities to local people, but will also bring greater convenience after completion.
Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, said that the China–Malaysia partnership extends far beyond infrastructure. Pragmatic cooperation in manufacturing, digital economy, semiconductor production also contributes significantly to local economy, Ge said.
In his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last year in Beijing, Xi encouraged Malaysia to bring more Malaysian quality and specialty products to the Chinese market, and urged closer cooperation in such new areas as digital economy, artificial intelligence and new energy, Xinhua reported.
Gan Tian Loo, Vice President of the Malaysia-China Interaction Association and former Special Envoy to China for the Malacca State Government, shared with the Global Times that Malaysians warmly anticipate the Chinese leader’s visit. They hope that through frequent high-level exchanges and deepened political trust, China and Malaysia will continue to bring concrete benefits to their people, fostering socio-economic progress for both countries.
According to Xinhua, China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with the volume hitting an all-time high of $212.04 billion in 2024.
Beyond the bilateral scope, analysts believe that with Malaysia serving as the 2025 chair of ASEAN and a BRICS partner country, China and Malaysia are expected to work more closely on regional cooperation, with an eye on stability and shared prosperity in a shifting global landscape.
The state visit by the Chinese leader also highlighted China’s strong endorsement of Malaysia’s rotating ASEAN chairmanship, as well as the theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability,” said Ge.
Against the backdrop of a tariff war, China continues its enduring commitment to fostering regional integration and multilateral cooperation, demonstrating its readiness to collaborate closely with neighboring countries to safeguard a multilateral trading system, Ge said.
Malaysia and Vietnam both participated in the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, last year, with Malaysia also being a BRICS partner country. Against the backdrop of the collective rise of the Global South, China’s cooperation with neighboring countries reflects the efforts of Global South nations to uphold a just and equitable global governance order, Ge said.
‘Comprehensive and fruitful’
On Tuesday, President Xi and Vietnamese leader To Lam witnessed the launching ceremony of the China–Vietnam railway cooperation mechanism in Hanoi, Xinhua reported. President Xi and Vietnamese leaders To Lam and Luong Cuong also met representatives of the China–Vietnam people friendship festival on Tuesday, the official news agency said.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that he has full confidence in the future of China–Vietnam relations, when bidding farewell to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam. Xi also said that his Vietnam visit is fruitful albeit brief, according to Xinhua.
To Lam says Xi’s visit boosts Vietnam’s confidence in overcoming challenges, elevates bilateral friendship to new high, per Xinhua.
During the meeting with To Lam on Monday, President Xi proposed six measures to deepen the building of the China–Vietnam community with a shared future: enhancing strategic mutual trust at a higher level, building a stronger security barrier, expanding higher quality mutually beneficial cooperation, and tightening the bonds of people-to-people ties, conducting closer multilateral coordination, and achieving more positive maritime interaction, per Xinhua News Agency.
The two sides signed 45 bilateral cooperation documents, covering areas including connectivity, artificial intelligence, customs inspection and quarantine, agricultural trade, culture and sports, public welfare, human resource development, media, and more.
The Vietnam News Agency said Xi’s state visit had a “comprehensive and fruitful outcome.”
Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute at Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times that President Xi’s visit has further elevated China–Vietnam relations.
He noted that the current China–Vietnam relations are marked by stronger political trust, more substantive security cooperation, deeper pragmatic collaboration, firmer public support, closer multilateral coordination, and more effective management of differences.
Gu emphasized the importance of comprehensive exchanges and cooperation between China and Vietnam which include collaboration in trade, politics, security, science and technology, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.
“Such efforts will not only elevate bilateral ties, but also advance the overall relationship between China and ASEAN,” said Gu. “These deepening ties will also play a constructive role in promoting peace, stability, and development across the region.”
This article first appeared in Global Times https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1332181.shtml
