Xi congratulates Anwar, Malaysians over Merdeka

TIANJIN: Chinese president Xi Jinping today extended his congratulations to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the people of Malaysia in conjunction with its National Day celebration.

Xi, speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 2025 Gala Dinner at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention Centre here, also congratulated Kazakhstan for celebrating its Independence Day.

“Today marks the gathering of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states and friends old and new.

“It also marks Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day and Malaysia’s National Day.

“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to President Sadyr Japarov, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the friendly peoples of Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia,” he said.

Anwar and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, are guests of honour at the dinner.

They are joined by other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at the event.

The dinner kicks off the two-day SCO 2025 Summit, the largest since its inception.

Tomorrow, Anwar will deliver his remarks at the summit. He is expected to showcase his ideas on forming better regional partnerships with Asean at the forefront.

Anwar is on a four-day working visit to Tianjin and Beijing.

He is scheduled to meet Xi and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing.

He will also attend China‘s annual Victory Day Parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept 3, the first for a Malaysian prime minister.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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