Chinese FM says China-Malaysia cooperation enjoys strong complementarity, vitality

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (C) speaks during the handover ceremony of medical equipment from the Chinese government to Malaysia in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on March 28, 2020. (Chinese Embassy in Malaysia/Handout via Xinhua)

In a telephone conversation with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Wang said the two countries have been among the first to get through the gloom cast by the coronavirus pandemic and taken the lead in promoting economic and social recovery.

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that the growth in both China's investment in Malaysia and Malaysia's exports to China in the first half of this year despite the impact of COVID-19 has demonstrated the strong complementarity and vitality of the bilateral cooperation.

In a telephone conversation with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Wang said the two countries have been among the first to get through the gloom cast by the coronavirus pandemic and taken the lead in promoting economic and social recovery, which is a result of the two sides standing together and supporting each other, and has created necessary conditions and opened up new prospects for bilateral cooperation in the future.

The two sides, he said, should explore ways to resume exchanges at all levels in an orderly manner, establish bilateral and regional "fast lanes" and bolster cooperation in "green lanes," so as to help the two countries resume work and production and ensure the stable operation of industrial and supply chains.

Noting that the world is a global village, Wang said that all parties should unite and cooperate to build a strong fortress to defend global public health and jointly oppose stigmatization of the virus and politicization of the pandemic.

Malaysian and Chinese participants attend a virtual signing ceremony in conjunction with the 127th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

China, he added, stands ready to continue to promote cooperation in vaccine research and development, use and production with Malaysia, and to strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation in such multilateral arenas as East Asia cooperation, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the World Health Organization to push for the building of a community of health for all.

Wang said that China firmly supports Malaysia in hosting this year's APEC meeting, and in striving to adhere to the purposes and principles of the APEC, build an open Asia-Pacific economy, uphold the spirit of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and partnership, and formulate the Post-2020 Vision.

For his part, Hishammuddin said that Malaysia attaches great importance to the robust relations with China and that their bilateral cooperation goes beyond geopolitics.

Malaysia, he added, fully agrees with China to actively carry out vaccine cooperation, establish a "fast lane" and a "green lane" at an early date, explore ways to jointly ensure supply chain security and send a positive signal of unity and cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on jointly coping with the current unstable and uncertain international situation.  ■