BERNAMA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Beijing yesterday to continue his official visit to China to advance the strategic partnerships between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.
The special aircraft carrying Anwar from Hainan landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 4.30pm local time.
He was accompanied by Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming and they were met on arrival by China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.
Present to welcome him were China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing and Malaysia’s Deputy Chief of Mission to China Sanmugan Subramaniam.
Anwar will meet China’s President Xi Jinping today, where they are expected to discuss the strategic elements of the bilateral relationship and chart the course for reinvigorated relations in the post-pandemic era taking into account a more challenging international environment.
He is also scheduled to meet with the Chairman of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji.
Tomorrow, Anwar will be accorded an official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People by the newly appointed Chinese Premier Li Qiang, followed by a bilateral meeting.
Both leaders will also witness the signing of three MoUs to deepen economic ties between the two governments.
As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will have engagement sessions with high-profile investors and Chinese captains of industry, and will also be delivering a keynote address at a Malaysia-China business forum.
Anwar’s maiden official visit here, since assuming the office in November last year, also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Malaysia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) this year and the two countries will also mark their 50th year of diplomatic relations in 2024.
The visit is historic, according to the Foreign Ministry, as it is expected to fortify economic relations with China, which will result in greater trade and investment flows.
Apart from Loke and Nga, the Malaysian delegates also comprised Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner since 2009.
