KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia welcomes more investment from China in the area of digital economy, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah.
In a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today, he emphasised the importance of the two countries working more closely in areas related to the digital economy, as well as cooperation between telecommunication companies.
“I have impressed upon His Excellency (Wang) that we are taking the digital economy as a premium way forward to rebuild our economy and sustain our future growth,” he said after his bilateral meeting with Wang here.
Wang, who is also China’s state councillor, is on a two-day official visit to Malaysia from yesterday.
Describing the meeting as very warm and fruitful, Saifuddin noted that next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP), and both sides agreed to commemorate the important milestone.
Both sides also looked forward to more high-level visits in the coming years, to promote greater trust between both countries.
He said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who met Wang today, have expressed their interest in visiting China when the time permits.
SaIfuddin said that the “Community of Shared Future” concept, a brainchild of President Xi Jinping, is very much aligned with the concept of “The World as a Family” being promoted by the Malaysian prime minister.
“Malaysia welcomes China’s initiative to promote openness, inclusiveness, and mutual respect, and we support the concept in principle,” he said.
Saifuddin said they also discussed the Belt and Road Initiative, the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” project, the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, and the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley cooperation.
“As we all know, the ECRL is going to be realised and we have started working on it. Under the Twin Parks project, again, China is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said Malaysia, through the International Trade and Industry Ministry and the Pahang government, is preparing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its sister industrial park, Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park, in 2023.
Saifuddin said he and Wang also discussed other matters pertaining to the relationship between Asean and China as a dialogue partner, particularly on the CSP between both sides.
“We spoke about how to make the CSP work better, and how to work on the idea of common development on food security and widening the free trade area,” he said.
Earlier, Saifuddin and Wang witnessed the handover document between the China Meteorological Administration and Malaysian Meteorological Department on CMAcast, a system that uses Chinese satellite digital video broadcast technology to transmit meteorological data, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Hunan Broadcasting System and Media Prima Omnia Sdn Bhd. – Bernama, July 12, 2022
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