Kota Kinabalu: As the bilateral relations between China and Malaysia have gone through a magnificent half-century, I set foot on the vibrant land of Kota Kinabalu with deep friendship and a beautiful vision for the future.
Under the strategic guidance of both countries’ leaders, the development of the China-Malaysia community with a shared future is advancing in a high-level and strategic way, ushering in a new chapter of the next “Golden 50 Years” for China and Malaysia relations, and has created new opportunities for deepening the friendship between China and Sabah as well as Labuan.
China and Malaysia are friendly neighbors across the sea and share a millennium-old friendship. Over the 50-plus years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, our bilateral relations grow ever stronger as time goes by.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});The two countries have become close friends and partners featuring mutual respect and political trust, mutually beneficial economic cooperation and mutual learning in culture.
This friendship has brought tangible benefits to both peoples. In April this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his second state visit to Malaysia in 12 years.
The most important achievement of this visit is that the leaders of both countries have elevated the relationship to a new height by jointly announcing to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.
A highlight of the visit was the joint commitment to develop a regional hub for cooperation in new quality productivity, focusing on digital economy, green economy, artificial intelligence and other frontier areas, and strengthen the integrated development of industrial chains, supply chains, value chains, data chains, and talent chains.
Both leaders have agreed to develop greater synergy in our development strategies. With dozens of cooperative agreements being signed, this visit has achieved a record-breaking fruitful outcome.
The State of Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan, with strategic locations and abundant resources, play a vital role in building the high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.
China and the consular district are highly complementary in areas such as the blue economy, green economy, tourism and sustainable infrastructure.
Both sides are deeply integrated into each other’s industrial chains, supply chains and value chains, which offers vast potential for mutually beneficial cooperation.
In recent years, the steadily growing exchanges between China and the consular district across multiple levels and the continuously deepened policy communication have injected fresh momentum into practical collaboration between the two sides. China has remained Sabah’s largest trading partner for several consecutive years.
Chinese enterprises have gradually expanded their investment, from traditional industries into new quality productivity sectors such as new energy manufacturing, significantly contributing to the local economic transformation and upgrading.
At the same time, the people-to-people exchanges between China and the consular district have also flourished in a comprehensive, multi-level, and wide-ranging way.
Cultural exchange activities organised by both sides have added the radiance of the new age to traditional festivals, while friendly mutual visits by civil societies have bridged the communication between our peoples.
Educational cooperation initiatives are enabling students to sow the seeds of friendship through mutual learning and understanding. The integration of culture and tourism has produced impressive results, with the number of Chinese tourists consistently ranking the top of international visitors in Sabah.
They are exploring the tranquil villages at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, diving through the hidden coral reefs of Semporna, and wandering in the lush landscapes of Sabah and Labuan.
Likewise, the people of Sabah and Labuan have immersed themselves in the beauty of the Orient during their trips to China, experiencing the vitality of Chinese modernisation.
The increasingly close exchanges between our two peoples vividly demonstrate the essence of mutual learning among civilizations, just as the saying goes “Countries treasure their own distinct heritages, appreciate other cultures and promote shared prosperity”.
Looking ahead, both the China-Malaysia friendship and the collaboration between China and Sabah-Labuan have a promising future.
As the Chinese Consul General in Kota Kinabalu, my colleagues and I are committed to the Principle of Amity, Sincerity, Mutual benefit and Inclusiveness, and look forward to working with friends across all sectors in Sabah-Labuan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of our two countries, deepen strategic alignment, and build a brighter future for the local cooperation between our two countries.
From the majestic Mount Kinabalu to the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, from tropical rain forests to the digital cloud, we will work to build a bridge of mutual benefit and closer people-to-people ties with even greater creativity.
We aim to transform the Belt and Road Initiative principle of “extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits” into more concrete projects that enhance people’s well-being.
These efforts will benefit the peoples of both countries, support the modernization processes of China and Malaysia, and contribute to building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future. In doing so, we will inject positive energy into the prosperity and development of the region.
Dr Zhu Xinglong, New Consul General of China in Kota Kinabalu.
