The new enovoy is Bai Tian, one of four deputy director-generals in the Chinese foreign ministry’s Asian affairs department.
He will take over as ambassador to Malaysia from Huang Huikang, who has held the position since 2014, the news portal reported.
During Huang’s tenure, there was a surge in Chinese investments in Malaysian infrastructure and real estate projects.
Huang, a former law professor, has been China’s ambassador to Malaysia since 2014.
Huang had headed the Chinese foreign ministry’s treaty and law department before becoming envoy to Malaysia.
He leaves on Oct 18 to take up a position with the International Law Commission, the UN’s top jurisprudence body.
Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, chairman of the high-level Malaysia-China Friendship Association, said the new appointment “reflects the importance China attaches to its relations with Malaysia”.
Shahriman Lockman, a Kuala-Lumpur-based foreign policy expert, said “Bai Tian’s appointment seems to suggest Beijing wants a steady hand at the helm of its embassy in KL”.
Bai Tian had previously served as deputy chief of mission in Manila, and has been a mainstay in Beijing’s delegation to the Asean Regional Forum.
Oh Ei Sun, another expert on Malaysia-China ties, said the latest appointment showed “China nowadays sends director-level diplomats to Malaysia, testifying to their taking Malaysia very seriously”.
At a farewell dinner last week, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai hailed Huang as “the most popular, hardworking and influential” Chinese ambassador since the two countries formalised bilateral ties in 1974.
“In pushing for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, you have led us to join the bandwagon. You have indeed done a meaningful job,” he said.
Huang, in reply, was reported to have said: “I may not be the best Chinese diplomat, but I can boast that I am the most hardworking ambassador.”
A former diplomat said one of Huang’s biggest achievements was restoring confidence in Malaysia among Chinese tourists after the March 2014 disappearance of MAS Flight 370 en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Most of the 239 people on board were Chinese nationals.
Huang caused a diplomatic stir in September 2015 for publicly declaring that China “opposed any form of discrimination against races and any form of extremism” ahead of a pro-Malay rally near the Petaling Street market in Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian foreign ministry at the time asked Huang to explain his comments behind closed doors and later declared the matter closed, the news portal said.
It said eyebrows were also raised in February last year by the embassy’s donation of RM40,000 to eight Chinese schools in the parliamentary constituency of Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
In January, the Chinese embassy rebutted criticisms and said Beijing “subscribes to a ‘non-intervention’ foreign policy and will not interfere with the domestic politics of other countries”.
But “we also do not hope to see people with an agenda to politicise our friendly bilateral relations,” it said in a statement.
Shahriman, who is a researcher with Kuala Lumpur’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies, said the billions of dollars of Chinese investments was the main source of anxiety.
Citi Research has said Beijing-led investments in Malaysian port and rail projects are poised to reach RM400 billion in two decades. China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for the last seven years.
“The sudden surge in Chinese investments has caused unease among some Malaysians, which has made the job of the Chinese ambassador a lot more demanding,” Shahriman said.