BEIJING/KUALA LUMPUR: At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar paid his first state visit to China from Sept. 19 to 22.
During talks with King Sultan Ibrahim, Xi said that the two sides should deepen mutual learning between the Chinese and Islamic civilizations, strengthen cooperation in higher education, joint scientific research and other fields, and enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples.
Xi also pledged to work with Malaysia to bring the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future to a new level.
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of China-Malaysia diplomatic ties, the two countries will build on past achievements to jointly usher in a new era in bilateral cooperation.
China and Malaysia are neighbors with a millennium-old friendship, friends connected by heart, and partners for win-win cooperation, with vibrant cultural exchanges serving as a bridge between the two nations.
On Sunday in the presence of hundreds of guests from both countries in Beijing, the Malaysian King participated in a ceremony renaming Malay Studies Chair of the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) to Sultan lbrahim Chair of Malay Studies.
The renaming of the Chair by the King highlights the importance both countries place on educational exchanges and cooperation, said Su Yingying, dean of the School of Asian Studies at BFSU.
“We all hope to promote in-depth collaboration between China and Malaysia in various fields, including culture and trade, through the cultivation of professional language skills and research talent,” Su said.
This year marks the Year of China-Malaysia Friendship. Earlier this year, Xi exchanged congratulatory messages with King Sultan Ibrahim on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Xi recalled that he recently received a jointly-signed letter from Malaysian students studying at Tianjin University in China, who have made it their goal to disseminate and promote China-Malaysia friendship and look forward to using their knowledge to serve the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future. Xi said he is pleased to see that the cause of friendship between the two countries will be carried on over generations.
Xi’s remarks have greatly inspired those Malaysian students in China.
One of the authors of the joint letter, Tan Pei Wei, a senior at the School of Life Science at Tianjin University, expressed her hope that the closer high-level exchanges between the two countries would create more opportunities for their economic cooperation and more development opportunities for young people.
Cheok Xuan Yu, a Malaysian student and also one of the authors of the joint letter, said, “I want to do my best to be a grassroots ambassador for exchanges between China and Malaysia and hope to contribute to the economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries in the future.”
“I aspire to be a promoter and advocate of China-Malaysia friendship,” said Foong Yan Lin, another Malaysian student in China.
