PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim departed for China today for several official events, shortly after attending the 2025 National Day celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya this morning.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Anwar left at 11am for a working visit that runs until Sept 3, with the highlight being the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
Fahmi said while Anwar had visited China several times before, this trip held particular significance.
“I think this is a very significant time for both countries,” he said when met after attending the celebrations.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the visit was at the invitation of China‘s President Xi Jinping, who also invited Malaysia to attend the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
As Asean chair, Malaysia’s participation in the summit reflects its commitment to strengthening Asean-SCO ties and its role as an intermediary to explore broader cooperation opportunities.
Anwar is also scheduled to have a courtesy call with Xi and hold bilateral talks with Premier Li Qiang to discuss cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Malaysia and China established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974, with China remaining Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years since 2009.
Malaysia-China trade totalled RM484.12 billion in 2024, accounting for 16.8 per cent of Malaysia’s global trade of RM2.879 trillion.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
