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BEIJING – It is not uncommon for a newly elected leader to visit major trading partners within a year of taking office. However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s jam-packed four-day visit to China plays a bigger role than just renewing bilateral ties and photo opportunities.
He was accorded a lavish welcome where Anwar separately met the three highest-ranking members of the Chinese government at the Great Hall of the People here last week.
Of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Anwar had said the two spoke at length on common themes in Xi’s Community for a Shared Future for Mankind concept and Malaysia Madani.
Xi had reaffirmed China’s readiness to work with Malaysia to promote Asian civilisations and prosperity while continuing to respect Asean centrality in issues on global security and South China Sea disputes, especially amid tensions with the United States.
The two leaders also spoke of anti-graft measures, poverty eradication, and the fight for justice – initiatives that are shared by both countries.
Malaysia was the first Asean country to initiate diplomatic ties with China decades ago, as both will commemorate the 50th anniversary of relations next year. This year also marks the 10th year of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership – something Malaysian leaders hope to elevate in the near future.
After the courtesy call with Xi, Anwar met National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee chairman Zhao Leji – who is also China’s top legislator – where the NPC stated its willingness to further expand exchanges with the Malaysian Parliament on creating policies to deepen cooperation among parliamentarians.
Meanwhile, Anwar’s bilateral meeting with counterpart Premier Li Qiang was a fruitful one as the two also witnessed the signing of five government-to-government memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
Li – who is often described as Xi’s most-trusted ally – said the relationship between the two countries stands at a new historical starting point after almost 50 years of diplomatic ties as both countries move towards a shared future.
Anwar also affirmed Malaysia’s open and public support for China and its leadership as Xi was re-elected for a precedent-breaking third term, as well as Zhao and Li’s appointments in March.
Malaysia has extended an invitation to Xi and Li to visit next year to commemorate the 50th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Prior to Anwar’s visit, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang during a work call with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir had shared that the visit was of “great significance” as the bilateral ties were “close and special”.
Despite Malaysia’s resounding support for the Chinese leadership, Anwar said in his public lecture at the prestigious Tsinghua University that no one should dictate to an independent nation such as Malaysia.
“I don’t see China as my competitor or a threat to us. Yes, there are many things we agree (on), but there are (also) things we disagree (on) as nations. Since there is no outright threat from China, we are happy to be a good neighbour, to be friendly, and benefit from its success.”
As for possible criticism over his overseas trips thus far, Anwar did not seem too perturbed, instead advising naysayers to expand their horizons beyond what they know. The opposition has been taking swipes at the prime minister following his trip to Saudi Arabia.
Emphasis on trade and investment
Of course, no bilateral visit of this magnitude is complete without significant advancements in trade and investments.
On record, Malaysia received the highest investment commitment in history from China, amounting to RM170 billion and RM2.44 billion in potential export value to China.
This followed the round table with 50 Chinese captains of industry – led by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd – and the signing of 19 MoUs between Malaysian and Chinese companies.
A spokesman on behalf of Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Ministry said the prime minister and his delegation helped to secure at least RM100 billion in commitments from the tycoon round table and RM70 billion from the MoUs.
It was learnt that it is rare for 50 Chinese tycoons to converge in a single meeting with a leader of a foreign country, and this has boosted the confidence and optimism of Malaysia’s trade representatives here as well as other Chinese investors.
One of the largest single investments is the agreement between DRB-Hicom Bhd and Zhejiang Geely on a joint venture for the development and commercialisation of an Automotive High-Tech Valley (AHTV) in Perak’s Tg Malim.
This project is focused on next-generation energy vehicles, which covers an extensive automotive and mobility solutions value chain.
DRB-Hicom said over the next 10 years, the AHTV development is expected to attract RM32 billion worth of investments, including by national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd.
Apart from tens of thousands of job opportunities, this project will see training and priority hiring offered to Malaysian workers.
On a separate matter, Anwar announced that Malaysia and China have agreed to further develop cooperation in projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park and the East Coast Rail Link.
In addition, more than 250 members of the Malaysian business community accompanied the prime minister to China, reflecting the host nation’s standing in economy and trade.
In a closed-door session organised by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia with the prime minister and his cabinet delegation, they shared some of their recent successes and how the unity government can further facilitate the ease of doing business.
This has been espoused by Anwar himself when he first took office. Among the issues brought up were visa requirements, bureaucracy at the local government level, and trade incentives.
Separately, he urged Malaysian businesses overseas to facilitate more investments back into the country as the government’s primary focus is to rebuild Malaysia with the help of domestic and foreign investments.
He also had a message for cabinet members who accompanied him during his official visit to China – the ministers must “do whatever that is required” to ease doing business in Malaysia, especially minimising delays and measures that incur additional costs.
As a senior member of the Malaysian delegation put it, the unity government is eager to get Malaysia back on its feet, economically, in post-Covid-19 times and China is the country’s biggest trading partner.
“We cannot recover economically at a fast pace without massive foreign investments as Malaysia is a fairly small country with a 32 million population. It makes sense to turn to China as it is an economic giant and the two countries share strong historical and trading ties.
“As the prime minister puts it, China is our immediate neighbour outside of Asean and offers a wealth of opportunities, not just headline-grabbing mega projects, but Chinese companies are willing to offer niche training, knowledge-sharing, and education to upskill Malaysians in areas such as green technology, digital economy, automotive, and other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) industries.”
Another government leader said there will be continued trade engagements as there are other Chinese companies eager to invest in Malaysia and see it as a hub into the larger Asean region.
“The B2B (business-to-business) MoUs signed so far are those we have confidence in generating real results. There were more Chinese companies who approached the delegation, but needed to be vetted first.”
Prior to his three-day trip to Beijing, Anwar spoke at a plenary session at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 in Hainan.
During his official visit to China, Anwar was accompanied by Foreign Minister Zambry; International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz; Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming; Transport Minister Anthony Loke; Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang; Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing; and Malaysian ambassador to China Raja Datuk Nushirwan Zainal Abidin as well as Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong.
China is one of eight countries Anwar has visited since he took office some four months ago. – The Vibes, April 4, 2023
