KUALA LUMPUR:Malaysia is highly appreciative of China’s commitment to prioritise Malaysia as a recipient and is now ready to receive successfully developed COVID-19 vaccines.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in his intervention during the 23rd ASEAN-China Summit today, said Malaysia believes that the vaccine research and development is still Malaysia’s top priority.

“Thus, we thank China’s contribution and support for ASEAN’s initiatives for public health emergencies.

“We look forward to the swift completion of the clinical trials of the vaccine and appreciate President Xi Jinping’s pledge to make the vaccine a ‘global public good’,” he said.

The 23rd ASEAN-China Summit was held as part of the 37th ASEAN Summit, hosted by Vietnam via video conference due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

During his 10-minute intervention, Muhyiddin noted that while COVID-19 has been a public health crisis, it has also been unprecedented in its disruption to societies’ modern way of life, damaging the economies and tearing the social fabric of ASEAN’s communities.

“Therefore, recovery efforts require us to address economic and social issues.

“In this regard, ASEAN and China must continue to carry out regular discussions and cooperation at multiple levels, and at the same time explore new opportunities for practical cooperation, in our struggle for a comprehensive recovery,” he urged.

The prime minister is leading the Malaysian delegation at the biannual summit virtually from here (Kuala Lumpur) which run till Sunday.

The summit is chaired by Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in his capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020 under the theme “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN."

Also part of the Malaysian delegation is Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein as well as Senior Minister and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

ASEAN, established in 1967, comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

-- BERNAMA