During a bilateral meeting in Shanghai, Anwar said Malaysia was “extremely thankful” that China had been at the forefront in supporting Malaysia’s participation in the BRICS bloc of emerging economies, Bernama reported.
“Things are going exceptionally well, and we have expanded cooperation to all areas, including economic, social, education, television, military, and border protection,” Anwar, who is on a four-day working trip to China, told the media.
BRICS – originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China – was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies.
South Africa joined the bloc in 2010, and since then, the bloc has expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysia was officially recognised as one of the 13 new BRICS partner countries on Oct 24.
Meanwhile, Anwar and Li also witnessed the exchange of documents between Malaysia and China related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Cooperation Plan.
Bernama reported that the BRI Cooperation Plan is aimed at coordinating policies, improving infrastructure connectivity, and enhancing trade and investment cooperation.
China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for the past 15 years.
Among the plan’s other objectives are increasing financial collaboration and strengthening ties in sectors such as health, education, science and technology, media, culture, tourism, and sports.
The BRI is a vast collection of development and investment initiatives launched by China in 2013.
Among the BRI projects in Malaysia is the East Coast Rail Link, a 665km, RM50.3 billion rail network that connects the east coast and the west coast, namely Kota Bharu in Kelantan to Gombak, Selangor. - FMT
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