The Air China aircraft carrying Xi and his delegation took off from KLIA here at 10.04am.

The First Battalion Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial) mounted a guard of honour for Xi in a send-off ceremony at the Bunga Raya Complex.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and foreign minister Mohamad Hasan bade the delegation farewell at the airport.

Xi began his visit on Tuesday at the invitation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim.

The visit was Xi’s second to Malaysia in 12 years. The last trip in 2013 saw the countries upgrading diplomatic relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi was accorded a state welcoming ceremony, followed by an audience and state banquet with Sultan Ibrahim at Istana Negara.

During a bilateral meeting at the Seri Perdana Complex yesterday, Anwar and Xi discussed ways to invigorate bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

They also witnessed the exchange of 31 memorandums of understanding, agreements, and notes between Malaysia and China. Xi then attended an official dinner hosted by Anwar.

The visit was part of the Chinese president’s three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, which had taken him to Vietnam earlier. It is his first series of state visits this year.

As the current chair of Asean and the country coordinator for Asean-China dialogue relations, Malaysia reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Asean and China through dialogue, mutual trust, and people-centred initiatives.

Malaysia and China established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974, and commemorated their 50th anniversary of this milestone last year.

China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years since 2009.

In 2024, total trade between the two countries was valued at RM484.12 billion, accounting for 16.8% of Malaysia’s global trade of RM2.88 trillion.