China Malaysia relations open a new chapter: looking forward to each other and working hand in hand to move forward

To be close neighbors who are friendly for generations, sincere partners who work hand in hand for development, close friends who are like brothers and sisters, and an important force in promoting peace together.In 2024, during the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim,I once sent such a message to the development of Sino Malaysian relations.

After 12 years, Xi Jinping visited this friendly country again, met with Ibrahim, and held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar.

Relatives wish each other well, and neighbors wish each other well. From Zheng He’s seven voyages to the West and five visits to Malacca in the Ming Dynasty to the Chinese people’s “going to Southeast Asia” and taking root in this land in modern times, the friendship between China and Malaysia has a long history, and the two-way rush of the people of the two countries has added new vitality to China-Malaysia relations. In 1974, Malaysia became the first ASEAN country to establish diplomatic relations with China after the establishment of ASEAN, which not only wrote a new chapter in the history of the development of China-Malaysia relations, but also opened a new era in the relations between China and ASEAN countries.

At the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Malaysian leaders used “newborn saplings” to describe the relationship between the two countries. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Malaysia have always lived in friendship and helped each other. The “newborn sapling” has grown into a “towering tree” with deep roots, lush leaves, abundant flowers and abundant fruits.

Data shows that in 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia reached US$212.04 billion, an increase of 11.4% year-on-year, setting a record high. China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, and Malaysia is China’s second largest trading partner in ASEAN and the largest source of imports.

At the same time, Malaysia is one of the first countries to respond to and actively participate in the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” cooperation. China supports Malaysia’s “Prosperous Malaysia” concept, and the two countries’ development strategies are constantly strengthening. In 2023, Xi Jinping and Anwar reached an important consensus on jointly building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, and the relationship between the two countries entered a new stage of development.

Some comments pointed out that diversity, coexistence, cooperation and inclusiveness are the common pursuits of China and Malaysia in the regional and international arena. It can be seen that as important developing countries and emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific region, China-Malaysia relations have gone beyond the bilateral scope. This year, Malaysia officially became a BRICS partner country, and also served as the rotating chair of ASEAN and the coordinator of China-ASEAN relations. Working together to move forward and pursue modernization together is becoming a solid bond for China, Malaysia and ASEAN to move forward side by side. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on the 14th, in the first quarter of 2025, ASEAN continued to be China’s largest trading partner, with imports and exports of 1.71 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.1%, and the proportion of China’s overall foreign trade increased to 16.6%.

At present, the negotiations on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 have been substantially concluded. The two sides will expand mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging areas such as the digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity, strengthen integration and connectivity in areas such as standards and rules, and jointly promote trade facilitation and inclusive development.

As Xi Jinping said in a signed article published in the Malaysian media on the 15th, the friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN countries has withstood the storms of the times and has become stronger over time. China firmly supports ASEAN unity and the construction of the ASEAN Community, supports ASEAN’s central position in the regional architecture, fully supports Malaysia in fulfilling its duties as the ASEAN rotating chair in 2025, and looks forward to Malaysia playing a better role as a bridge as the coordinator of China-ASEAN relations.

Majid, president of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association, said that he believes that under the leadership of the two heads of state, the construction of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future will continue to achieve new results and will surely usher in the “next glorious 50 years” of bilateral relations.