KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of International Trade and Industry hopes that Malaysia-China trade relations will be further strengthened through continuous engagement between the two countries, its minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said.

He said this via Twitter after meeting China's ambassador to Malaysia, Ouyang Yujing, earlier today.

During the meeting, they discussed trade and investment relations between Malaysia and China, as well as the steps forward to further strengthen bilateral relations, the minister added.

China is Malaysia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years (2009-2021).

In an interview with CNBC yesterday, he had said that China's move to reopen its borders next week bodes well for Malaysia's tourism and economy, as China is the nation's largest trading partner.

According to data from Tourism Malaysia, in pre-pandemic times, China accounted for the third largest tourist arrivals in Malaysia, with about 3.1 million tourists from mainland China visiting Malaysia in 2019, out of the overall 26.1 million arrivals.

-- BERNAMA