Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is set to visit China from Thursday to Sunday, with both sides looking to deepen relations and advance the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, aiming to achieve new outcomes to bring more benefit to the peoples and continue contributing to regional stability, experts said.
The visit by King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is his first to a non-ASEAN country since assuming office as head of state. President Xi Jinping will hold a welcome ceremony and a banquet for him. The two heads of state will hold talks and Premier Li Qiang will meet with King Sultan Ibrahim, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar was formally installed as Malaysia’s new king in July this year.
Lin said China is willing to work with Malaysia to take this visit as an opportunity to continue the traditional friendship, deepen strategic alignment, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, further enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia, and achieve new results in building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.
The timing of King Sultan Ibrahim’s visit is pivotal for strengthening China-Malaysia cooperation and deepening exchanges between the peoples, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, highlighting a significant milestone in their bilateral ties and reflecting the strength of their comprehensive strategic partnership, Xu said, noting that King Sultan Ibrahim’s visit will also inject new momentum into bilateral cooperation.
According to a release from the Malaysian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, King Sultan Ibrahim will be accompanied by ministers of transport, housing and local government and foreign affairs, and senior officials from the National Palace and relevant ministries and agencies.
In addition to high-level exchanges, King Sultan Ibrahim will also attend various events during his stay in China, including attending a naming ceremony of the chair of Malay studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University in his honor, according to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.
Premier Li visited Malaysia from June 18 to 20. During the visit, China and Malaysia released a joint statement on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership toward China-Malaysia Community with a Shared Future.
The recent frequent high-level exchanges between China and Malaysia underscore the strengthening of bilateral relations. With economic collaboration as a cornerstone of this partnership, both sides are seeking greater consensus on deepening win-win cooperation and regional development amid rising competition of major countries, said analysts.
Most ASEAN countries have upheld a balanced diplomatic stance even though they are under US pressure to take sides or hype up certain issues, particularly concerning the South China Sea, and Xu said this shows their commitment to strategic autonomy.
GT
