Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing Photo: Courtesy of Chinese Embassy in Malaysia

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay state visits to Malaysia and Cambodia from April 15 to 18, at the invitation of King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim and King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

Prior to the visit, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that the deep bond between China and Malaysia is rooted in history and has been strengthened by the winds of time. The stories of China's legendary navigator and diplomat Zheng He, who visited Malacca at least five times during his seven maritime expeditions, are widely known in Malaysia. 

Today, both nations are advancing together toward a shared future. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, and Malaysia is also one of China's key destinations for foreign direct investment. The two countries are experiencing rapid momentum in cooperation on new productive forces.

In the interview, Ouyang noted that Malaysia has been a pioneer and leader in promoting China-ASEAN cooperation. This year, Malaysia once again assumes the chairmanship of ASEAN, and China will firmly support Malaysia in carrying out its duties while standing shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN.

GT: China and Malaysia are not only good neighbors across the sea, but also like-minded friends and good partners in development. How do we see the relationship between the two countries, past and present?

Ouyang: Over the past half century, China-Malaysia relations have weathered numerous challenges, yet they have remained ever fresh and robust. Looking back to the early days of diplomatic relations, Malaysian leaders once likened the young relationship between China and Malaysia to a "new sapling." Today, the relationship has grown into "a towering tree" with deep roots, laden with fruitful results. 

Last year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations and the Year of China-Malaysia Friendship. At present, China and Malaysia are making great strides toward a shared future. The frequent interactions between the leaders of the two countries and their guidance have provided us with fundamental guidelines for promoting the development of China-Malaysia relations.


GT: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said recently that China has been ASEAN's most significant economic partner, and this relationship will continue to be a cornerstone of regional stability. Malaysia is assuming the ASEAN rotating chairmanship for 2025. Confronting the current backlash of unilateralism, how can extensive and in-depth China-Malaysia cooperation contribute to a more robust development between China and ASEAN?

Ouyang: China and ASEAN are good neighbors, good brothers and good partners, inseparable to each other. As the most successful regional cooperation organization in Asia, ASEAN has long practiced multilateralism and an open-door policy, and has been working with China on the right path of good-neighborliness and common prosperity.

Malaysia has been a pioneer and leader in initiating cooperation between ASEAN and China, not only being the first country to establish diplomatic relations with China after the establishment of ASEAN, but also initiating the process of dialogue between China and ASEAN during its chairmanships in 1991 and 1997, and facilitating the first informal meetings between the leaders of China and ASEAN.

This year, as Malaysia once again assumes the rotating ASEAN chairmanship, it has put forward the theme of "Inclusivity and Sustainability," which aligns closely with Asia's shared values of peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration, and is particularly significant in today's world marked by instability, rising protectionism and a slow economic recovery.  China will firmly support Malaysia in fulfilling its duties, and will insist on marching side by side with ASEAN to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, and to build a peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homeland together.

GT: Could you please tell us what initiatives we can take specifically?

Ouyang: The first is to deepen political mutual trust, support ASEAN's centrality, promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit, respect each other's development paths and jointly safeguard Asian values. This year, Malaysia has taken the initiative to convene the first summit among China, ASEAN and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to promote the construction of a cross-regional cooperation structure, and China is ready to actively participate in it and to promote tripartite cooperation for the betterment of the people of the region.

The second is to insist on mutual benefits and win-win results, make good use of the advantages of the two sides' mega-markets with a population of 2 billion, accelerate the signing and implementation of the China-ASEAN FTA 3.0, give full play to the role of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, collaborate to promote economic growth, expand cooperation in emerging industries, explore the potential for cooperation in areas such as the digital economy and green development, and give clear support to multilateralism and free trade, so as to continuously push forward the regional economic development integration.

Thirdly, we should deepen exchanges in the field of humanities, continue to organize the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in culture, tourism, youth, media, think tanks and other areas, increase the number of China-ASEAN Young Leaders Scholarship, explore the realization of a higher level of two-way openness, and promote the people of the two sides to visit each other frequently to deepen the blending of civilizations and people-to-people exchanges. 

It is believed that with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN, the friendly cooperation between the two sides will continue to grow steadily and make greater contributions to the creation of a more prosperous and better region and world.

GT: China and Malaysia have strong ties in trade and investment, what landmark achievements have been made in the process of building the Belt and Road Initiative? What new ideas can be imagined in the emerging areas of digital economy and artificial intelligence?

Ouyang: We have taken pragmatic cooperation as a means to build a mutually beneficial and win-win community with a share future between China and Malaysia. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Last year, bilateral trade reached a record high of $212.04 billion, marking an 11.4 percent year-on-year increase. The East Coast Rail Link, a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative undertaken by Chinese enterprises, has now reached 79 percent completion. In the future, it will serve as a key artery for integrated development between the east and west coasts of the Malay Peninsula.

Malaysia remains China's second-largest trading partner within ASEAN and the top source of imports from the region. Malaysian products are popular in China, especially the successful export of Malaysian fresh durian to China since last year, to the delight of durian-loving Chinese diners. In addition, Malaysia's high-quality palm oil, rubber, bird's nest and other products occupy an important position in China's large market, promoting the prosperity of related industries in both countries.

Malaysia is also one of China's key destinations for foreign direct investment globally, and the two countries are seeing strong momentum in cooperation on new productive forces. Chinese new-energy vehicles are well-received in Malaysia, with Geely, Chery and other automobile enterprises having invested and set up factories in Malaysia, promoting the deep integration of the domestic supply chain between the two countries.

Data centers built by companies such as GDS and Chindata Group have sprung up, and Chinese technology and Chinese solutions are helping Malaysia become a regional digital economy leader and achieve its digital transformation goals. Chinese technology and solutions are helping Malaysia emerge as a regional leader in the digital economy and achieve digital transformation goals, the Chinese ambassador added.

GT: What role has the mutual visa exemption policy implemented by China and Malaysia played in promoting humanistic exchanges between the two countries?

Ouyang: China and Malaysia began implementing mutual visa exemption policies in 2023. In 2024, Chinese nationals had made nearly 3.8 million passenger trips to Malaysia, with more than 500 flights a week between the two countries. The number of travelers in both directions has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

I'm deeply gratified that a survey conducted by a Malaysian polling agency shows that 77 percent of Malaysians hold a favorable view of China. Currently, there are around 57,000 Malaysian students studying in China, and 17 Chinese universities have established Malay language programs.

The cause of China-Malaysia friendship has been passed on from generation to generation. Last month, Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" premiered in Malaysian cinemas to much anticipation. It quickly broke the record for the highest box office by a Chinese film in Malaysia, becoming the country's top-grossing animated film — a testament to the power of outstanding Chinese cultural works to resonate with Malaysian audiences. 

We are building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future through cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The deep bond between China and Malaysia is rooted in history and has been strengthened by the winds of time. The stories of China's legendary navigator and diplomat Zheng He, who visited Malacca at least five times during his seven maritime expeditions, are widely known in Malaysia.

Today, the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future is progressing steadily. Guided by the leadership of both countries, we should draw strength from history, carry forward our traditional friendship, and continue to be close neighbors across generations, sincere partners in development, trusted friends like brothers and a joint force for peace, building a brighter tomorrow for China-Malaysia relations.