KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia-China trade relationship, which has already spanned 50 years, is expected to continue to be strengthened through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said a research Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Dr Muhammad Azwan Abd Rahman.

He said Malaysia plays a crucial role in the initiative’s success, which proves beneficial to the country.

“China has been moving towards becoming a core nation in the world economy for several decades through the BRI, and Malaysia is essential to China in ensuring the success of this initiative because if China fails to include Malaysia in BRI, it deviates from the Silk Road itself.

“If Malaysia does not seize the opportunity to benefit from BRI, we will lag behind countries currently seeking to cooperate with China, including European, South Asian and Middle Eastern countries,” he said.

He said this when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Apa Khabar Malaysia programme titled ‘Hala Tuj
u Malaysia-China Melangkaui Hubungan 50 Tahun’ today.

The brainchild of President Xi Jinping of China established a decade ago, BRI, aimed at reviving the ancient Silk Road that historically connected Asia with other parts of the world through the construction of railways, airports, pipelines and various other means.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, forged following the Joint Communique between Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and the then Prime Minister of China, Chou En-Lai, in Peking (Beijing) on May 31, 1974.

China has remained Malaysia’s trading partner for the past 15 years, with total trade reaching US$98.80 billion (RM450.84 billion) in 2023 and imports from China totalling US$56.69 billion (RM258.63 billion).

These imports predominantly consist of electrical and electronics products, machinery, and chemicals, underscoring the robust economic relationship between the two nations.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency