In a special article penned and signed by him and posted on the embassy’s official Facebook page today, Bai Tian said the bilateral relations between China and Malaysia has “grown from a small sapling of friendship 45 years ago to a towering tree” today.
“If (we) compare the China-Malaysia friendship to a tree, political mutual trust would be the soil for the planting of the tree. The successive leaders of the two countries have played an important guiding role in promoting China-Malaysia friendship,” he said.
Bai Tian said that although both countries do not always agree on every issue, they have always insisted on handling the differences through friendly consultations, consensus and mutual trust.
Malaysia was the first country in the region to establish diplomatic ties with China when the second prime minister, Abdul Razak Hussein, visited the republic in 1974.
Since then, the relations have grown in various fields including diplomacy, economy, trade, agriculture, defence and security.
“Dr Mahathir Mohamad has visited China nine times during his two terms as the prime minister,” Bai Tian wrote.
“On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia this year, Dr Mahathir visited China to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRFIC).
“On the sidelines, Dr Mahathir had meetings with the Chinese national leaders and exchanged views on the new grand blueprint for China-Malaysia cooperation.”
He noted that 45 years ago, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia was only US$159 million but by 2018, it had surged to US$108.6 billion, an increase of more than 600 times.
“The ‘Two Countries, Twin Parks’ project has progressed smoothly and projects such as the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and Bandar Malaysia have revived, while cooperation such as Geely Proton and Alibaba Malaysia Digital Free Trade Zone are ongoing full steam ahead,” he said.
Bai Tian expressed his gratitude to those who have been committed to China-Malaysia friendship over the 45 years.
“China and Malaysia shall be friends forever and shall help each other to pursue common development in the long run. May the friendship between China and Malaysia remain fresh forever,” he said.