On Saturday, 93-year-old Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad started his five-day visit to east China’s Hangzhou City where he visited tech giant Alibaba and automotive company Geely. 

‍Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad tours Alibaba's exhibition area with Alibaba's founder Jack Ma in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang Province, August 18, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Alibaba’s founder and chairman Jack Ma talked about the company’s latest investments and future ideas for the Malaysian market for the strategically important relationship between Malaysia and China. It is already a strong one: Since 2009, China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner.

Jack Ma told CGTN that “Malaysia has so many small businesses and so many young people. They have the right to use the technology to sell their products to China, to the world in a cheap and efficient and cost effective way.”

After assuming power in May, Mahathir Mohamad has aimed to attract more high tech companies to his country. /CGTN photo

He particularly hopes to learn about China's development during this trip. He believes Malaysia can benefit from their knowledge, especially regarding the marketing of the products. 

Mahathir Mohamad also said “China has a world class delivery system that has access to information and data."

After Alibaba, Mahathir visited automaker Geely on Saturday afternoon./CGTN photo

He is expected to visit drone maker DJI in Beijing on Sunday. By touring these high-tech companies, the Malaysian Prime Minister hopes he will have a better understanding of China’s emerging industries. 

China and Malaysia are expected to enhance cooperation in the fields of digital economy, automobile manufacturing and agriculture./CGTN photo

In the next few days, Mahathir is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

It is reported that he will renegotiate deals regarding some China-backed infrastructure projects. The prime minister has also emphasized his trip to Beijing demonstrates his administration's resolve to push forward with Sino-Malaysian relations.