KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s king has lauded his recent state visit to Beijing “a success”, stressing that it has furthered relations between the two countries.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, who returned from the four-day trip on Sunday (Sep 22), said that the various topics he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang were well-received by both leaders.
The king also expressed amazement at China’s rise on the international scene in the last 20 years.
“The country has good examples for us to follow in the effort to restore Malaysia after the last few challenging years,” said the king, as quoted in the New Straits Times.
Sultan Ibrahim’s visit to China is the first by a Malaysian King in 10 years, marking a significant moment for both nations as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
“The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations is not only a highlight to celebrate, but also an opportunity to strengthen cooperation towards a better future,” said Sultan Ibrahim.
“The good relationship between Malaysia and China is based on trust and respect which enables close cooperation in almost all sectors,” he said.
“I hope the government will examine the results of this visit and take appropriate measures in the areas discussed including education, trade, investment as well as transport and connectivity.”
Sultan Ibrahim also praised the stance taken by China against Israel with regards to the current war in Gaza.
He said Malaysia is in line with China in expressing solidarity on the issue of peace in Palestine.
The king added that Malaysia will work with China to keep peace in the South China Sea, according to Chinese state media on Friday.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, while Malaysia, as well as the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam, have overlapping claims.
During Friday’s meeting, President Xi told Sultan Ibrahim that China would like to strengthen connectivity with Malaysia under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as it pertained to infrastructure, according to the Bangkok Post.
The BRI is an ambitious China-led infrastructure plan to develop new trade routes connecting China with the rest of the world.
President Xi singled out projects for cooperation, including the construction of a railway along Malaysia’s eastern coast and two joint-venture industrial parks in the Chinese city Qinzhou and the Malaysian city Kuantan.
He also promised to boost cooperation in agriculture, poverty reduction, new energy and the digital economy. He further vowed to deepen ties in higher education as well as scientific and technological research.
At one point, Sultan Ibrahim became emotional when he spoke about his fourth child, Tengku Abdul Jalil Iskandar Ibrahim, during his meeting with Mr Xi at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
He expressed gratitude to China for assisting the late prince in undergoing a liver transplant at Guangdong’s First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in December 2014.
Local and regional media reported that President Xi and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, who also attended the meeting, were both “deeply moved”.
Tengku Abdul died in 2015 aged 25 after battling liver cancer.
During his visit, the Malaysian ruler also attended a gathering with the Malaysian diaspora in Beijing.
Some 300 Malaysians were at the gathering with the king, who was accompanied by his third child and second son Tengku Temenggong of Johor, Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim and Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
In 2014, the late king Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah visited China at president Xi’s invitation.
The visit was in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Malaysia-China relations, which were established on May 31, 1974.
