2 days Ago By Qistina Sallehuddin
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's enduring relationship with China is a partnership built not merely on trade and investment, but on mutual respect, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.Delivering his keynote address at a dinner hosted for the Chinese delegation in honour of President Xi Jinping's state visit, Anwar said that while China remained Malaysia's most significant trading partner, the bond between the two nations transcended economic statistics."The world may have shifted in many ways, but the friendship between Malaysia and China has remained firm and steadfast, renewed through dialogue and affirmed through action.
"China remains our most significant trading partner, its presence felt in the very arteries of our development. "From the flow of goods and ideas to the transformation of our energy, infrastructure and innovation. Yet the true strength of this relationship lies beyond trade figures or tourist statistics.
"It rests on a profound understanding that prosperity, to endure, must be shared and that trust, once cultivated, must be tended with care, patience and commitment," he said.Anwar also highlighted the pivotal role both countries played in promoting civilisational dialogue and fostering global cooperation. He said that Malaysia and China had demonstrated how cultural exchange could serve as a powerful vehicle for peace and mutual understanding.
"With China, we have actualised this axiom by holding civilisational dialogues, such as between Islam and Confucianism, to further strengthen the bonds of understanding. "This underscores the importance of emphasising our commonalities in the pursuit of shared values of harmony and prosperity. "These exchanges are all the more significant, considering that there are others out there drumming up the clash of civilisations," he said.
Anwar said that in an era when multilateralism faced immense pressure, with some nations turning their backs on shared responsibility and questioning long-held commitments, China's global initiatives offered renewed hope."China's vision is outward-looking, not inward. It advocates not rivalry, but renewal.
"In some quarters, the rules-based international order has been distorted. Dialogue has given way to demands, tariffs are imposed with little restraint, and the spirit of cooperation is drowned out by threats and coercion."We are not witnessing a genuine reckoning with the flaws of globalisation, but rather a retreat into economic tribalism.
Market access has become weaponised."What was once a multilateral covenant for shared growth now strains under the weight of arbitrary disruption and unilateral action."Amidst growing global uncertainty, Anwar praised China as a rational, consistent, and dependable partner — a quality that Malaysia deeply values.
He reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to its ties with China, vowing that the country would remain a principled and steadfast friend, guided by historical wisdom and future aspirations."Let it be remembered that history is not written in haste. True partnerships are not forged overnight but are built over time — with care, courage, and conviction.
"May the friendship between Malaysia and China endure — as deep as the oceans, as constant as the stars, and as bright as the promise of tomorrow."Malaysia and China established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of this milestone last year. Since 2009, China has remained Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.
In 2024, total trade between the two nations reached RM484.12 billion, representing 16.8 per cent of Malaysia's global trade valued at RM2.
879 trillion.© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.
