Opening up a new chapter in China-Malaysia relations

It gives me great pleasure to pay a goodwill visit to Malaysia as head of the Communist Party of China (CPC) delegation at the invitation of PKR.

The main purpose of my visit is to promote friendly exchanges between the CPC and major political parties in Malaysia, as well as people-to-people understanding and friendship between our two countries, with a view to building up a stronger bridge of mutual trust and cooperation for the development of China-Malaysia relations.

“Neighbours wish each other well, just as family members do,” says a Chinese proverb. Similarly, there is a Malaysian saying to the effect of “Bukit sama didaki, lurah sama dituruni” (together we climb mountains, and together we cross valleys). These two adages give vivid expression to the significance and the special nature of the relationship between our two countries, as was manifested in the development trajectory of China-Malaysia relations.

Since ancient times, China and Malaysia have always remained good neighbours facing each other across the sea, good friends sharing weal and woe and good partners of win-win cooperation. By “climbing mountains and crossing the valleys” together, people of our two countries have kept alive the friendly tradition of mutual assistance for nearly a thousand years.

About 600 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese navigator Zheng He came to Malacca for five times on his seven sea voyages, recorded as a much-told anecdote in the chronicles of friendly people-to-people exchanges between our two countries.

Forty-four years ago, the then-prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein demonstrated his farsightedness as a statesperson in making Malaysia the first Asean country to establish diplomatic relations with China, marking the beginning of a new era in China-Malaysia relations.

Twenty-one years ago, during the administration of prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia was instrumental in launching the Asean-China Dialogue Relations and Asean Plus Three Cooperation dialogue process, which later developed into the most influential platform for regional cooperation.

A year later, in the face of the financial crisis ravaging Asia, China withstood pressure by refusing to depreciate the renminbi and stood with Malaysia and other neighbouring countries in tiding over the difficulties.

Ten years ago, millions of Chinese were deeply touched by the long queue in Malaysia donating generously in cash and in kind to victims of the Wenchuan earthquake. As a matter of fact, mutual assistance, the spirit of togetherness and the bonds of friendship constitute the most durable defining feature of China-Malaysia relations.

Strategic partnership

Since the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013, China-Malaysia cooperation has produced bountiful results in various areas within the framework of the One Belt One Road Initiative, forming a community with intertwined, common interests, and setting a shining example of win-win cooperation based on mutual respect.

China has been the biggest trading partner of Malaysia for nine consecutive years, the largest investor in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector for two consecutive years, and origin of the most tourists in Malaysia for six consecutive years.

Bilateral trade volume in 2018 is expected to exceed USD$100 billion. Chinese businesses have made investment in over 300 projects in Malaysia, generating over 60,000 job opportunities. The first week of the Pakatan Harapan government, further witnessed the investment of 1.2 billion ringgit in Malaysia by three Chinese companies.

In the eyes of the Chinese, Malaysia is a synonym for ‘Truly Asia’ with beautiful landscape, harmonious society and thriving economy. In Malaysia, 70 percent of the population cherish positive sentiments towards China.

Facts have shown that the continued improvement of China-Malaysia relations not only conforms to the tide of our times, the fundamental interests of our two countries and people’s aspirations, but also helps promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Going forward, China-Malaysia relations, bonded by the unbreakable and profound friendship and underpinned by the all-encompassing practical cooperation, are embracing new opportunities with even broader prospects.

As economic transformation and upgrading gather pace, China's development will bring about more benefits to other countries. The new Malaysian government has unveiled a series of policy initiatives to deepen reform, accelerate development and improve people’s livelihood.

The China-Asean strategic partnership is entering the 15th year, and the upgraded China-Asean cooperation in its current ‘diamond decade’ is injecting inexhaustible impetus for strengthening the friendly cooperation between China and Malaysia.

We welcome the visit to China by Prime Minister Mahathir at the earliest possible date, during which he could work together with Chinese leaders to chart the course and draw up the blueprint for the future of China-Malaysia cooperative relations.

Furthermore, new dynamism could be added to the development of China-Asean relations, and more Asian solutions with Asian wisdom could be presented to both regional cooperation and global governance.

Party-to-party relations

A deep-rooted tree is leafy while a river with a remote source runs long. For the China-Malaysia friendship and cooperation to grow into a towering tree and a torrential river, broad support is needed from people of vision in both countries.

To this end, party-to-party contacts and exchanges play the important role of political guidance in promoting the development of state-to-state relations.

Based on the principle of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, the CPC maintains regular contacts with more than 400 political parties and organisations in over 160 countries and regions, giving shape to the new structure of the CPC’s external relations that is all-round, wide-ranging and multi-layered.

Contacts and exchanges between the CPC and political parties in Malaysia started in the 1990s, and developed further ever since, which has positively contributed to the enhancement of strategic mutual trust, the promotion of practical cooperation and the deepening of people-to-people friendship between our two countries.

Looking into the future, the CPC is ready to further strengthen contacts and exchanges with all major political parties in Malaysia to improve mutual understanding, trust and friendship, as well as to share with each other governance experience.

By so doing, we shall explore the building of the new type of party-to-party relations that seeks to expand common ground while reserving differences and enhances mutual respect and mutual learning so that even greater contribution could be made to the long-term, sound and steady development of China-Malaysia relations.

To conclude, I wish Malaysia prosperity and her people happiness. I firmly believe that with mutual trust and concerted efforts, a bright tomorrow will surely be created for the relations between China and Malaysia.

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GUO YEZHOU is the vice-minister of the International Department, Communist Party of China. - Mkini