KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman played a vital role in the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China during the 1970s, a time when Malaysia was still facing the communist threat, said Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
According to the Kelantan prince, he was instructed by Dr Ismail, who was then deputy prime minister, to lead a trade mission to China in May 1971 and met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to discuss a proposal to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“At that time, we (Malaysia) were still fighting the communists and had no direct ties with China. There (in China) I was taken to the Great Hall of the People (in Beijing) to meet with Premier Zhou Enlai.
“It was at that meeting that China proposed to us on establishing diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
“It was something new and had never been raised in ASEAN or at ASEAN meetings because of the situation then,” said Tengku Razaleigh, who was then the Malay Chambers of Commerce president and Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (Pernas) chairman.
Tengku Razaleigh, who holds the record of being the longest-serving MP, also recounted how Dr Ismail instructed him to discuss and evaluate China’s level of commitment towards establishing a new chapter with Malaysia.
He said as a result of the meeting, Malaysia’s second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein made his first official visit to China in 1974, which marked the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
“Tun Dr Ismail made a significant contribution, even though he was not the Foreign Minister (at the time). It was important not only in terms of the relationship between the two countries and their people but also in terms of trade relations.
“In the past, trade relations were conducted through Singapore and Hong Kong to China. However, our trade with China was limited, and few goods were exported. But since the establishment of diplomatic relations (with China), the amount of exports and imports has increased,” he said.
Tengku Razaleigh also recalled a statement made by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, which emphasised the significance of maintaining strong relations with China.
“He said as China was a big country with a huge population and Malaysia and other countries in the region had a substantial number of people of Chinese descent, it’s crucial to consider the significance of this relationship for the country’s development,” he said.
The Communications and Digital Ministry is scheduled to hold a programme to honour Dr Ismail for his services in conjunction with the National Month celebration.
The programme, to be held at Dataran Merdeka on Aug 2, aims to educate the younger generation about the statesman’s significant contributions to the country’s development.
The programme, which is expected to be attended by 15,000 people, will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
