China and Malaysia on Tuesday agreed to promote high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and advance key BRI projects, as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Malaysia. 

In a meeting with Wang, Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said China is not only Malaysia's largest trading partner, but also its important strategic partner.  

The two sides have jointly made remarkable achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and great progress on industrial park projects of the two countries, which have injected strong impetus to Malaysia's economic development, he said. 

Malaysia welcomes more Chinese investment and is ready to jointly build the major BRI projects with China to set an example of interconnectivity, Abdullah said. 

Wang said China has been the largest trade partner of Malaysia for 13 consecutive years, and the all-round cooperation between the two countries has been fruitful, boosting both countries' development and rejuvenation, and delivering huge benefits to the two peoples. 
  
China is willing to work with Malaysia to strengthen the docking of development strategies, build the Belt and Road with high quality, expand and strengthen key projects, establish a pilot zone for production capacity cooperation and a pioneer zone for innovation, and help Malaysia give full play to its resources and advantageous location, and upgrade its industrialization, he said. 

Proposed by China in 2013, the BRI comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.

China encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Malaysia to help the country speed up its industrialization, Wang said during a meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Tuesday.

Speaking highly of the traditional friendship between China and Malaysia, Wang said the two countries maintained a healthy and stable relationship.

China always supports the Malaysian side to play an important role in regional and international affairs, Wang said, expressing China's wishes to join hands with Malaysia to inject more stability into the world.

For his part, Ismail Sabri said his country is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to tackle global challenges like food security and work together to maintain peace and stability.

On the same day, Wang also held talks with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, vowing to promote bilateral ties to a new level.

During Wang's visit, the two countries reached a series of consensus. Both sides agreed to build the Belt and Road with high quality, establish a pilot zone for production capacity cooperation and a pioneer zone for innovation.

China vowed to import more agricultural products of high quality from Malaysia and make efforts to enable Malaysian students to return to China as soon as possible to continue their studies.

The two sides advocate open regionalism, true multilateralism, and promised to accelerate the negotiation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

On Tuesday, Wang wrapped up his Asia tour, which took him also to Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

(Cover: Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (L) shakes hands with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 12, 2022. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)