KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and China on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and advancing a high-level strategic community with a shared future, as Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a state visit to Malaysia from April 15 to 17.

AI Brief
  • Malaysia and China agreed to boost cooperation in defence, security, and diplomacy, including a new joint dialogue mechanism.
  • Both sides committed to stronger economic and people-to-people ties, with new deals on trade, tourism, education, and panda conservation.
  • They pledged to uphold peace in the South China Sea, support ASEAN unity, deepen multilateral ties, and backed a two-state solution for Palestine.

In a joint statement, both countries pledged closer coordination on security and defence, including the establishment of a Joint Foreign and Defence Dialogue Mechanism.

They voiced strong support for each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national development goals.

On economic ties, Malaysia and China agreed to deepen cooperation in the digital, green, blue, and tourism sectors. They committed to enhancing collaboration across industrial, supply, data, and talent chains under the Five-Year Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation (2024–2028).

Bilateral trade has surged nearly a thousand-fold since diplomatic relations were established in 1974, the statement noted.

The two countries also hailed closer people-to-people exchanges, welcoming reciprocal visa exemptions and expanded cooperation in education, youth, cultural tourism, and sports.

Malaysia acknowledged public affection for the giant pandas at Zoo Negara, calling them a symbol of enduring friendship. Both sides agreed to continue joint research on panda conservation.

On regional security, Malaysia and China underscored the need to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

They committed to resolving disputes through peaceful means and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and to finalising a substantive Code of Conduct (COC) with ASEAN by 2026.

China expressed support for Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 and reaffirmed its backing for ASEAN centrality and the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.

Internationally, both nations pledged to strengthen multilateral cooperation through the UN, WTO, WHO, and BRICS. China welcomed Malaysia’s role as a BRICS partner and supported its deeper engagement with the bloc.

On Gaza, both countries called for the full implementation of the ceasefire and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution.

They called for Palestine’s full UN membership and stressed that Palestinians must lead any post-conflict governance.