China and Malaysia on Thursday said they had arrived at a consensus that high-quality Belt and Road cooperation is pushing their bilateral ties to a new stage. 

The agreement was reached during talks between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein in Nanping City, Fujian Province. 

Wang said China is willing to work with Malaysia to continue to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to bring more benefits to the people of the two countries in the post-pandemic period. 

He also expressed China's willingness to enhance cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine and drug research with Malaysia, adding that they should align their development strategies and enhance cooperation in fields including 5G, digital economy and modern agriculture. 

Hussein said he appreciated China's help in fighting the pandemic, adding that it demonstrated that Malaysia and China are family. 

Stating that attempts by outside forces to divide regional countries will not succeed, Hussein said Malaysia hopes to learn from China's experience in epidemic prevention and control and to boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, investment, and food security under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. 

The two ministers also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern. 

According to the International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI), Malaysia's trade with China in February surged by 49.8 percent year on year to 28.76 billion ringgit ($6.93 billion), representing 18.3 percent of its total trade.

China supports ASEAN meeting on Myanmar 

At a joint press briefing with his Malaysian counterpart, Wang Yi said China firmly supports promoting peace talks in Myanmar in the ASEAN way as well as the holding of a special meeting of ASEAN leaders to mediate the situation at an early date.

The Chinese foreign minister said it is hoped that relevant parties in Myanmar should proceed from the long-term interests of the nation, initiate dialogue and consultation as soon as possible, heal the rift under the constitution and legal framework, and constantly advance the hard-won democratic transformation process.

Calling on all relevant parties to exercise restraint, China and Malaysia agreed that the international community should uphold the basic norm of non-interference in internal affairs, and create a good environment for domestic political reconciliation in Myanmar.

Wang also told reporters that the two countries had reached a consensus on working together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. "China and Malaysia agree to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on maritime affairs and properly manage differences," he said.

"We should continue to maintain our confidence, steer clear of disruptions, fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and promote offline consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea amid COVID-19 pandemic in a flexible manner."  

He added the two sides agreed to work out a substantive and effective COC that is consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as soon as possible, so as to better maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and his Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein. /Chinese Foreign Ministry )