KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (Bernama) – The China Entrepreneurs Association in Malaysia (PUCM) should continue to act as a bridge to further strengthen China-Malaysia bilateral ties, says China’s ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian.
This, he said, would enable Malaysians to have a better understanding of China especially with both countries already celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Beijing-Kuala Lumpur this year.
“PUCM should play a bigger role to promote closer cooperation between Chinese and Malaysian businesses, and also facilitate Chinese companies’ integration into the local community. I hope PUCM will inject new vitality into our two countries’ friendly relations with great efforts,” he said.
The ambassador was speaking at PUCM’s third anniversary celebration dinner here Wednesday night. The event also marked the China-Malaysia diplomatic relations anniversary.
The event was graced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Also present were PUCM President Datuk Keith Li Zhongping and Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok.
Bai said PUCM should also guide and help the member companies to abide by the rules of Malaysia, to respect the local culture and religions, as well as enhance the awareness of social responsibility among its members.
“PUCM should also create and protect the good image of Chinese companies, so as to help promote a healthier and stable development in China-Malaysia relations,” he added.
He said China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years, and also its largest foreign investor in the last three years.
He said ties between China and Malaysia also entered a new era last year amid profound changes around the two countries. “So we have to bolster our confidence in our future by opening arms and work even harder with Malaysian partners to cope with the risks and challenges, as well as promote the relations to new heights.”
Last year, bilateral trade between Malaysia and China hit an all-new high, growing 13 per cent to US$108.6 billion (RM443 billion) from US$96 billion (RM392 billion) in 2017. The number of Chinese visitors into Malaysia also increased 29 per cent to 2.94 million last year.
There are also around 1,000 Chinese enterprises operating in Malaysia, contributing to Malaysia’s economy and social building, considering more than 70 per cent of their workforce are Malaysians.
— BERNAMA
