KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is listed as one of the countries to be given priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine from China, which will be distributed soon, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
In a Facebook post today, the prime minister said this was conveyed to him by China’s outgoing ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian during a farewell visit at the Parliament building yesterday.
Muhyiddin said Malaysia has also expressed appreciation for the Chinese government's commitment on the matter.
“Bai Tian also expressed his appreciation to the government of Malaysia for giving continuous support in various aspects to the republic, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic hit Wuhan earlier this year.
“He considers Malaysia a very close friendly country that is always ready to lend a helping hand when China needs it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin also expressed the government’s appreciation for Tian’s contribution in bringing Malaysia-China bilateral relations to new heights since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1974.
“China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years, with last year's trade value recorded at RM315.19 billion. China's investment in Malaysia last year was RM18.25 billion, making the country as the 10th largest source of foreign direct investment in Malaysia.
“Malaysia always welcomes more companies from China to make Malaysia a preferred destination for investment, especially in the high-tech industry sector,” he said.
Muhyiddin added that Beijing also congratulated Malaysia as the host of the Apec Summit, which saw the declaration of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration and launch of Putrajaya Vision 2040.
“I wish all the best to Bai Tian, who will end his tenure tomorrow and return to Beijing after three years in the country,” Muhyiddin said. – Bernama, November 26, 2020
