00:00Ladies and gentlemen, with the presence of Mr Jin today, I would like to take this opportunity
00:17to highlight the lasting and deepening relationship between Malaysia and China.
00:24Our diplomatic relations have progressed steadily over the last five decades since
00:29the signing of the Joint Communique in Beijing on 31 May 1974.
00:37Malaysia's bold decision to be the first ASEAN member state to formalise diplomatic
00:43relations with China in 1974 created a new chapter in ASEAN-China relations.
00:52For 50 years, economic partnership has served as the main pillar of our diplomatic ties
00:59and will continue to become the bedrock of our future cooperation.
01:05Trade and investment relations between Malaysia and China have deepened, with China becoming
01:11Malaysia's largest trading partner since 2009.
01:17Malaysia's trade with China made up 17 per cent of Malaysia's global trade, valued at
01:24close to US$100 billion.
01:29Over the years, the range of products traded has diversified due to the growing interlinkages
01:35of our enterprises in the value chains.
01:39From 1980 to 2023, 497 manufacturing projects with participation from China, valued at
01:50US$19 billion, all have been implemented, creating more than 82,000 job opportunities
01:59for Malaysia.
02:01The Malaysia-China trade and investment linkages contribute significantly to Malaysia's economy
02:08and industrial reforms.
02:10These serve as an impetus to accelerate more participation of China in Malaysia's manufacturing sector.
02:19So ladies and gentlemen, last year we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Malaysia-China
02:27Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
02:31To mark this significant milestone, the Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Sri Anwar
02:36Ibrahim, undertook his inaugural visit to China in April 2023, and subsequently attended
02:45the 20th China ASEAN Expo in September 2023.
02:52These visits rejuvenated business interests, resulting in accumulated investment commitments
02:58and potential exports.
03:00This demonstrates the strong interest and confidence of Chinese investors towards Malaysia.
03:07Furthermore, Malaysia and China have agreed to implement the second cycle of the Malaysia-China
03:15Five-Year Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation.
03:19This initiative will further deepen linkages between our industries in priority sectors
03:25like high-level manufacturing, digital economy, robotics, entrepreneur development, innovation
03:33and start-up, as well as research and development in agriculture and primary industries.
03:40The Five-Year Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation is expected to be signed soon
03:47during the inaugural visit of His Excellency Premier Lee Chiang to Malaysia, in conjunction
03:53with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
04:00In addition to Economic and Trade Cooperation, two Government-to-Government MOUs are expected
04:06to be signed during this visit, including MOU on strengthening investment cooperation
04:13in the digital economy, and MOU on promoting investment cooperation in green development.
04:22These MOUs will set forth the direction for companies from Malaysia and China on investment
04:28and business opportunities in various sectors.
04:32Malaysia has been selected to be the country of honour at the 21st China ASEAN Expo or
04:39CEXPO in 2024.
04:42Malaysia, for Malaysia, the 50th anniversary is not just a celebration of a milestone but
04:49a pivotal point to chart the future of our economic cooperation that focuses on national
04:55and regional development.
04:58Under the economic pillar, around 60 programmes will be held either in Malaysia or China,
05:05led by various government agencies, the business community and think tanks.
05:11Programmes organised by our Ministry include Invest Malaysia in September 2024 and the
05:17Malaysia-China Summit 2024 to be held in December 2024.
07:17I would like to welcome the Chinese government in this area and invite Malaysia to look at
07:24the potential of their joint investment in this sector.
07:29Thirdly, regarding the digital economy, he has mentioned IT, information technology,
07:36the use of new technology applications where Huawei has been in Malaysia for a long time
07:42and also other Chinese companies.
07:45As he said, the MOU will be signed tomorrow.
07:50God willing, there will be a framework to ensure that both countries and the Malaysian
07:57and Chinese companies can share their experience and knowledge about the sectors mentioned earlier.
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