PETALING JAYA: As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China establishing diplomatic ties, prospects for future economic collaborations and friendship remain prosperous.
President of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association Datuk Abdul Majid Abdul Khan (pic) told StarBiz that the bilateral trade will continue to see an uptrend for 2024.
China is known to be Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 15th consecutive years and in 2023 alone, bilateral trade was recorded to be US$98.8bil. As of February 2024, total trade volume between the two nations has reached a whopping US$15.52bil.
However, global and economic challenges must be taken into consideration, Abdul Majid highlighted.
“China has its own economic challenges and the trend in certain demands are going down. But positively, I believe the momentum will be there and the trend (of rising trade volumes) will continue”.
Abdul Majid added that one of the issues is the realisation of these investments, in which he stated would normally take a few years to mature – from processing, approval to commencement.
“Only upon the realisation (of investments), then the people can see the benefit from it – in terms of employment and market.
“So again, I think the trend of Chinese-investments is positive and we can see the results, especially the contribution to our gross domestic product, even not immediately, but in the short or medium term,” he said after the award ceremony of the “China-Malaysia Friendship In My Eyes” short video and photography competition and Embassy Open Day.
He stated that the two nations have always supported each other during times of need and that by uniting as a Malaysian-Chinese community, they are paving the path for a better shared future.
“If you ask me, for the future I am very optimistic about the strong foundation (between Malaysia and China) and we need to build on that foundation (even more), and this is where the young generation, both sides – Malaysia and China, have a role to play in this.”
Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing added that the synergy between China and Malaysia injected new momentum into the two countries’ pursuit of common development and shared prosperity.
“Over the last 50 years, under the strategic guidance of the two country leaders, China and Malaysia have stuck true to the original aspirations of establishing diplomatic relations, always sincerely trusting and lending a helping hand to each other and setting a successful example of bilateral relations among the international community.”
The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China recently held an award ceremony to celebrate the winners of the “China-Malaysia Friendship In My Eyes” short video and photography competition.
The entries showcased talent and creativity, as well as demonstrating the true essence of friendship between the Chinese and Malaysians communities.
