PUTRAJAYA (June 19): A total of 14 memoranda of understandings and agreements (MOUs and MOAs), protocols and joint statements involving nine Malaysian ministries were exchanged between the country and China on Wednesday, witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

The documents were exchanged during Li’s official visit to Malaysia, his first as the Chinese premier, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Li is here for a three-day visit until Thursday.

The nine Malaysian ministries involved were the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Home Ministry, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Ministry of Communications.

On behalf of Miti, two MOUs were exchanged — on strengthening investment cooperation in the digital economy, and promoting investment cooperation in green development.

Besides the MOUs, Malaysia and China also inked the second cycle of the Malaysia-China five-year programme for economic and trade cooperation to deepen further linkages between industries in priority sectors like high-level manufacturing and the digital economy.

The programme would also deepen cooperation in robotics, entrepreneur development, innovation and start-ups, as well as research and development in agriculture and primary industries.

For the Ministry of Communications, two MOUs were exchanged. The first was with China Media Group on cooperation in the field of media, while the second MOU is to strengthen cooperation in the postal field between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and China's State Postal Bureau.

Under the MOF, the document exchanged was a joint statement on the national single window for the cross-border trade initiative, while under the MOHE, the MOU was on cooperation in the field of higher education, and under Mosti, on a science and technology people-to-people exchange programme.

As for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the MOU exchanged was on the fields of housing and urban development.

Earlier, Anwar and Li had a closed-door meeting to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interests.

Anwar then held a luncheon for Li and his Chinese delegation before they departed for the Shangri-La hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Li will also have an audience with His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, later on Wednesday.

Both Anwar and Li will attend the East Coast Rail Link ground-breaking ceremony in Gombak, and conclude their schedule for Wednesday with a dinner celebration for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years since 2009. Last year, total trade with China was valued at RM450.84 billion, contributing to 17.1% of Malaysia’s global trade.

To recap, diplomatic relations between the two nations were established by the joint communiqué signed by then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak and Chinese premier Chou En Lai on May 31, 1974.

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