At the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, I will soon pay a state visit to Malaysia. This will be my second visit to your beautiful country in 12 years. I look forward to experiencing Malaysia's remarkable progress and transformation in person, and meeting with Malaysian friends to celebrate our friendship and plan for future cooperation.
China and Malaysia are friendly neighbors across the sea. The maritime Silk Road stood witness to the millenium-old friendly exchanges between our countries. As a Malay proverb puts it, air dicincang tidak akan putus, or "water can't be cut apart." Through the ages, such strong bonds of friendship between our peoples have grown from strength to strength. Over 1,300 years ago, Chinese Buddhist monk Yijing (636-713) of the Tang Dynasty travelled to the Malay Peninsula on his pilgrimage voyage and produced the earliest known written account of the ancient kingdom of Kedah. More than 600 years ago, Chinese navigator and explorer Zheng He (1371-1433) of the Ming Dynasty and his fleet called at Malacca during five of his seven historic expeditions. His visits planted seeds of peace and friendship. To this day, the Sam Po Kong Temple, Bukit Cina, and Princess Hang Li Poh's Well endure as a living testament to the local community's everlasting veneration of the legendary Chinese navigator. Some 80 years ago, when the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression reached a critical juncture, the Nanyang Volunteer Drivers and Mechanics from Malaysia braved immense dangers to reach China's Yunnan Province, and helped keep the Burma Road operational, as it was a vital lifeline of China's wartime supplies. Today this remarkable story of courage still echoes in the hearts of both peoples. As we honor our shared past and embrace the future, our two countries must work together to give fresh momentum to our ship of friendship that has sailed through the long river of history, and ensure that it forges ahead steadily toward brighter
We must keep a firm grip on the strategic helm that guides our ship of friendship. Fifty-one years ago, breaking through the gloom of the Cold War, leaders of China and Malaysia made the decision to establish diplomatic relations, pioneering a groundbreaking new chapter in relations between China and ASEAN countries. China and Malaysia have since respected each other's development paths while maintaining strategic independence. We have provided mutual support on issues vital to our respective core interests and on our major concerns, setting an exemplary model for two countries to prosper together through mutually beneficial cooperation. In 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and I agreed on building the China-Malaysia community with a shared future. The decision marked a new milestone in the bilateral relations. China and Malaysia must enhance strategic communication, increase mutual political trust, follow through on the Belt and Road cooperation plan between the two governments, strengthen synergy between our development strategies, expand experience sharing on national governance, and promote our bilateral relations through high-standard strategic cooperation.
We must expand results-oriented cooperation which serves as the ballast that steadies our ship of friendship. In 2024, China-Malaysia trade reached US$212 billion, up by nearly 1,000 times the level at the inception of our diplomatic relations. China has been Malaysia's No.1 trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Malaysian durians can now be delivered directly from orchards to Chinese supermarkets within 24 hours, and they are immensely popular among Chinese consumers. To date, the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park has received a total investment of over RMB11 billion yuan, and will create many long-term jobs when all its planned projects are completed with production reaching their designed capacity. Our bilateral cooperation potential is being progressively realized in the digital economy, green development, industrial investment, and transport infrastructure construction. We must deepen mutually beneficial collaboration, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen cooperation on industrial and supply chains, with a focus on the digital economy, green economy, blue economy and tourism economy, so as to advance modernization of both countries.
We must fuel the engines of people-to-people exchanges to propel our ship of friendship forward. China and Malaysia have mutually granted visa exemption to each other's nationals. The year 2024 saw nearly 6 million mutual visits between the two countries, which exceeded the pre-COVID level. "Malaysia, truly Asia," the tourism promotional ad that highlights the unique charm of Malaysia's culture, history and landscape, has inspired numerous Chinese tourists to visit Malaysia for leisure vacations or sightseeing. More and more Malaysian tourists are travelling to China to appreciate its historical legacy and experience its contemporary vibe. I hope our peoples will visit each other as often as family. Our two countries must promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges so as to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between our two peoples, especially the younger generation.
We must harness the momentum of collaboration at the multilateral level. China and Malaysia are both major developing countries in the Asia-Pacific. We are also emerging market economies and members of the Global South. We have similar positions on safeguarding international fairness and justice and on advancing open and inclusive development. We have maintained close collaboration within multilateral mechanisms, including East Asia cooperation, APEC, and the United Nations. China welcomes Malaysia as a BRICS partner country. Its inclusion in the organization aligns with the historic trend of the Global South's pursuit of solidarity-driven collective advancement and serves the common interests of developing countries. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the U.N., and the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. As we honor these milestones, our two countries must strengthen mutual cooperation in international and regional affairs, and champion the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit. We must uphold the U.N.-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and promote fairer and more equitable global governance. We must uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation.
As a community with a shared future, China and Malaysia share the smooth times and the rough, stand united in peace and crisis, and thrive and endure together. "Share weal and woe," a popular proverb in both countries, defines the very essence of such a relationship. We must stay ahead of the times, surge forward with unyielding resolve, and jointly build a brighter future of development, growth, and prosperity.
Having weathered storms of the times, the friendly relations and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries have emerged stronger and more resilient. China was the first ASEAN dialogue partner to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and the first to establish a free trade area and a comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN. China-ASEAN cooperation is the most results-oriented and productive in the region. China and ASEAN pulled together in solidarity in response to multiple challenges, such as the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing headwinds against economic globalization. Our bilateral cooperation is more robust than ever. In 2024, China-ASEAN trade exceeded US$980 billion, making us each other's largest trading partner for five consecutive years. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Negotiations have substantially concluded. More and more premium specialty products from ASEAN countries are now finding their way into millions of Chinese families, while Chinese literary works, animations, films, and TV productions are increasingly captivating audiences in ASEAN countries with the rich tapestry of Chinese culture and the warm pulse of contemporary life in China.
China firmly supports ASEAN unity and community-building, and supports ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture. China fully supports Malaysia in its role as the ASEAN Chair for 2025 and looks forward to Malaysia serving as a stronger bridge between the two sides as the Country Coordinator for China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations. Through its modernization, China is striving to build itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects, and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. Chinese modernization follows a path of peaceful development. China will promote global peace, development and shared prosperity with other countries through mutually beneficial cooperation. The Chinese economy is built on a solid foundation, with multiple strengths, high resilience, and vast potential for growth. The core conditions supporting its long-term positive growth remain firmly in place, with the underlying upward trend unchanged. China has set its target for economic growth at around five percent for 2025. We will continue to pursue high-quality development, expand high-standard opening up, share development opportunities with other countries, and bring greater stability and certainty to the regional and global economy.
Unity brings strength, and cooperation leads to mutual success. China will work with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism, in keeping with the historical trend of peace and development. We must brave the waves ahead and advance the high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, and jointly build a stronger China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
- By H.E. Xi Jinping President Of The People's Republic Of China
