Chinese FM says China to lift partnership with Malaysia to higher levels

China is ready to elevate its comprehensive strategic partnership with Malaysia to higher levels, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.

China will work with Malaysia to further deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields under the guidance of jointly building a China-Malaysia community of shared future, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, when meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said the two leaders reached an important consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, injecting key impetus into the development of bilateral relations.

For his part, Zambry said China is a good and trusted friend of Malaysia, and Malaysia attaches great importance to its relations with China.

The Malaysian side is glad to work with China to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, maintain the momentum of high-level visits and push for greater development of bilateral relations, Zambry said.

The fact that China and Malaysia are set to soon launch a mutual visa-free entry arrangement will greatly facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries, he said, voicing hope that more Chinese tourists will visit Malaysia.

China earlier this month announced that they would allow visa-free entry for Malaysian travelers for up to 15 days, and Malaysia followed suit and granted Chinese citizens 30 days' visa-free travel.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Preventing the comeback of war and the deterioration of humanitarian disasters is a position every responsible country should take, Wang said.

The UN Security Council high-level meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on Wednesday has been initiated by China at the request of Arab and Islamic countries, with the aim of pushing the Security Council to reach a consensus on ceasefire and cessation of hostilities at a higher level, have a unified voice and take more effective measures, Wang said.

Noting that the meeting comes at a critical juncture where the temporary ceasefire may end, Wang said there must be no comeback of war nor more harm to innocent civilians, on both of which the meeting should send out a clear message.

All parties should facilitate smoother and more sustainable access to humanitarian supplies to Gaza to ease the humanitarian crisis there, he said.

Apart from paying great attention to the situation on the ground, a consensus by all parties on returning to the two-state solution should be reached so as to secure a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue, he said, adding that China stands ready to work with all parties to make active efforts to this end.

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets his Malaysian counterpart Zambry Abdul Kadir in New York, U.S., November 28, 2023. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)