BEIJING, Oct 11 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will undertake a five-day working visit to China beginning tomorrow to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in trade, investment, technology, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Malaysian Ambassador to China Datuk Norman Muhamad said the visit, from October 12 to 16, would include a series of meetings with Chinese government leaders in Beijing before Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, travels to Tianjin to attend the World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference (WVTEDC) 2026.

He said the agenda in Beijing would begin with a bilateral meeting with Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, followed by a meeting with Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong and several engagements with trade companies to explore opportunities for economic cooperation.

“The meeting with Ding is scheduled for October 15 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with both sides expected to discuss efforts to strengthen existing cooperation and explore new opportunities in investment, technology, and human capital and talent development, including TVET.

“Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is also expected to feature in the discussions, covering infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), the digital economy, telecommunications, trade, renewable energy, and science and technology,” he told a press conference here today.

Norman said the discussions were also expected to follow up on several matters arising from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s meeting with Premier Li Qiang during his working visit to China from Sept 22 to 24, further strengthening the Malaysia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He said both sides were also expected to exchange views on their shared commitment to maintaining regional peace and stability through the Asean-China framework, as well as addressing global issues of mutual concern.

Norman said that in Tianjin, the Deputy Prime Minister would attend a dinner hosted by Chinese Education Minister Huai Jinpeng before delivering a keynote address at the opening session of WVTEDC 2026 on October 16.

He said Ahmad Zahid, who is also the National TVET Council chairman, was expected to be the highest-ranking representative from a foreign government attending the conference, which would bring together 21 ministers and deputy ministers from other countries, with participation from more than 100 countries.

Norman said Malaysia’s participation would provide opportunities to share best practices, foster cooperation between educational and training institutions, and strengthen industry ties between the two countries.

He said that during his visit to Shanghai last year, Ahmad Zahid had also sought the Chinese government’s cooperation in training Malaysian TVET students, including through institutions such as the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and related agencies.

This will be Ahmad Zahid’s third visit to China since assuming the post of Deputy Prime Minister in December 2022. He will be accompanied by senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, Rural and Regional Development Ministry, Higher Education Ministry and the National TVET Council secretariat.

Malaysia-China trade for the January-August 2026 period rose 35.1 per cent to RM456.68 billion compared with the same period last year. — Bernama