Joint Statement of the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of Malaysia on Deepening and Upgrading the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Building a Community of Dest
Xinhua News Agency, Kuala Lumpur, June 20th
Joint Statement of the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of Malaysia on Deepening and Upgrading the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Building a Community of Destiny between China and Malaysia
(Kuala Lumpur, June 20, 2024)
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Malaysia, at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim, People’s Republic of China (PRC) the State Council Prime Minister Li Qiang paid an official visit to Malaysia from June 18 to 20, 2024. In the meantime, Premier Li Qiang met with Malaysian Supreme Head of State Ibrahim, held talks with Prime Minister Anwar and attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on deepening and upgrading the comprehensive strategic partnership, promoting the building of a community of destiny between China and Malaysia and international and regional issues of common concern, and reached broad consensus.
The leaders of the two countries agreed that China and Malaysia are good neighbors, heart-to-heart friends and win-win partners. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974, especially since the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013, China-Malaysia relations have made great progress, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples and providing important assistance for the development and stability of the two countries. After half a century’s trials and tribulations, China-Malaysia friendship is increasingly showing great vitality. The leaders of the two countries promised to maintain strategic independence, strive for common development, adhere to honesty and mutual trust, safeguard fairness and justice, and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation.
The leaders of the two countries agreed that today’s world has entered a new period of turmoil and change. As important representatives of developing countries and emerging economies in Asia, the strategic significance of bilateral relations is more prominent, which is not only related to the well-being of the two peoples, but also to the future and destiny of the region, and is of great significance to promoting unity and cooperation in the "global South". The two sides will work together to promote an equal and orderly world multipolarization and inclusive economic globalization. The Malaysian side highly appreciates the concept of building a community of human destiny, the "One Belt, One Road" initiative proposed by the Supreme Leader, the diplomatic concept of being sincere and accommodating neighboring countries, the global development initiative, the global security initiative and the global civilization initiative. China supports the basic principle of "Prosperous Malaysia" and advocates and promotes national innovation, care, tolerance and mutual respect.
In 2023, China and Malaysia reached an important consensus on building a community of destiny between China and Malaysia, and will unswervingly strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation to raise the building of a community of destiny between the two countries to a higher level.
First, build a high level of strategic mutual trust
(1) The leaders of the two countries agreed to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and provide important strategic guidance for the stable development of bilateral relations. The two sides will further strengthen exchanges between the central and local governments, legislatures and political parties, strengthen policy communication and deepen the exchange of experience in governing the country.
(2) The two sides firmly support each other’s national development vision and goals. Malaysia highly admires China’s achievements in development in the new era, and highly praises China for comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese modernization. China appreciates Malaysia’s social and economic development achievements under the guidance of the concept of "Prosperous Malaysia".
(3) The two sides firmly support each other in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and adhere to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. Malaysia reaffirms the principles of the joint communique signed by the leaders of the two countries on May 31, 1974, firmly adheres to the one-China policy, recognizes Taiwan Province as an inalienable part of People’s Republic of China (PRC), supports China’s national reunification, and does not support any "Taiwan independence" proposition. The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining social stability, safeguarding national security and promoting national unity.
(4) The leaders of the two countries unanimously agreed to carry out more cooperation in the field of defense industry and strengthen national security exchanges and cooperation. The two sides reiterated their opposition to all forms of terrorism, and will strengthen law enforcement security and anti-terrorism cooperation, cooperate in combating transnational crimes, and contribute to regional peace and stability.
Second, deepen development docking
(1) The two sides will take the opportunity of signing the Cooperation Plan between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of Malaysia on Jointly Promoting the Construction of the Belt and Road, further deepen the docking of development strategies, strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, promote integrated development and coordinated development, jointly decide and start jointly agreed projects, realize the deep integration of production, supply, value chain, data chain and talent chain, and further enhance the level and quality of China-Malaysia cooperation.
(2) The leaders of the two sides agreed to strengthen economic and trade investment and infrastructure interconnection and cooperation. China actively supports Malaysia in promoting the development of domestic transportation, ports and related logistics industries. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in rail transit and infrastructure to contribute to the realization of the vision of the Trans-Asian Railway. The two sides will continue to work closely together to promote key projects such as the East Coast Railway in Malaysia and the "Two-country Park", further expand the scale of trade, close financial cooperation, encourage two-way investment, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights, and provide a good business environment for economic and trade exchanges between the two sides. Malaysia welcomes China’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) and reiterates that CPTPP remains open to the participation of economies that can meet the "Auckland Three Principles".
(3) The two countries will seize the opportunity of the development of new productive forces such as digital economy, green development, artificial intelligence and energy, explore cooperation in the fields of advanced manufacturing, scientific and technological innovation, entrepreneurial development of small and medium-sized enterprises and financial services, and make use of the existing cooperation and promotion platform to jointly develop and determine new areas of mutual cooperation. China appreciates Malaysia’s open and fair opportunities for China enterprises to participate in Malaysia’s 5G network construction. The two sides agreed to carry out more exchanges and cooperation around the semiconductor value chain to maintain the stability of the global supply chain.
(4) China is willing to import more Malaysian high-quality agricultural products, electronic and electrical products, halal food and green products, and participate in the international procurement plan organized by the Malaysian Foreign Trade Development Bureau, as well as international trade exhibitions held in Malaysia, such as the International Halal Food Exhibition, Malaysia International Furniture Exhibition and Malaysia International Green Technology and Ecological Products Exhibition Conference. China welcomes Malaysia to continue to expand its exports to China through platforms such as China International Import Expo and China-ASEAN Expo. China is willing to share its experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalization with Malaysia and provide assistance within its capacity to improve people’s livelihood and well-being. The two sides agreed to make good use of the mechanism of the joint working group on agricultural cooperation and strengthen cooperation in agricultural modernization and agricultural technological innovation.
Third, enhance cultural exchanges
(1) The two countries positively evaluated the effectiveness of the series of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, and unanimously agreed to vigorously carry out activities in the fields of culture, tourism, religion, youth, and locality in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, promote exchanges between the two countries at all levels in various fields, and further deepen exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese civilization and Islamic civilization.
(2) The leaders of the two countries support mutual visa exemption and promote friendly relations between the two countries. China has agreed to extend the visa-free policy for Malaysian citizens until the end of 2025. As a reciprocal arrangement, China will extend the visa-free policy for Malaysian citizens until the end of 2026. The leaders of the two countries welcome the two sides to continue to negotiate mutual visa exemption agreements to facilitate the entry of citizens of the two countries into each other’s countries.
(3) The two sides confirmed that in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia and strengthen scientific research cooperation in related fields, China and Malaysia will launch a new round of cooperative research on panda protection. The leaders of the two countries look forward to progress in the field of cooperative research on giant pandas.
(4) The two sides agreed to enhance the level of educational cooperation between China and Malaysia, deepen the cooperation in vocational education, joint scientific research and digital education, and agree that institutions of higher learning of the two countries should cooperate to set up advanced research institutes. Strengthen exchanges between think tanks in universities of the two countries, promote mutual visits between teachers and students, and continuously enhance mutual understanding of civilizations. The two sides encourage cooperation in the media, press and publication, radio, film and television between the two countries to enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings between the two peoples, especially the younger generation.
(V) The two countries agreed to jointly apply for the inclusion of the "Lion Dance" project in the UNESCO representative list of human intangible cultural heritage. Both sides praised "lion dance" as a historical culture shared by the two countries and will jointly protect this cultural heritage.
Fourth, strengthen multilateral cooperation
1. China welcomes Malaysia to take over as the coordinator of China-ASEAN relations in July 2024, and fully supports Malaysia to assume the rotating presidency of ASEAN in 2025. The two sides will continue to promote the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and promote the completion of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area version 3.0 negotiations as soon as possible; We will jointly run the 2024 "China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges" series of activities, work together to build the "Five Homes" of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty and friendship, promote new progress in China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, and promote the construction of a closer China-ASEAN community of destiny.
(2) The two countries reaffirm the principles, common values and norms embodied in the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and are willing to jointly safeguard ASEAN’s central position, support ASEAN to enlarge and strengthen the ASEAN-led cooperation mechanism, and support ASEAN to build an open and inclusive regional structure, safeguard regional peace and stability, and promote regional development and prosperity.
(3) The two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in the South China Sea and agreed to resolve disputes by peaceful means through friendly consultations and negotiations in accordance with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The two sides will launch a bilateral dialogue mechanism on maritime issues as soon as possible and strengthen dialogue and cooperation related to the sea. The two sides will work with other ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and look forward to reaching a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date.
The leaders of the two countries agreed that China and Malaysia share broad common interests and similar positions in international affairs, and firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at the core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The two sides will jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, safeguard the unity and cooperation of the international community, and promote the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind.
(5) The two countries agreed that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have become the basic norms of international relations and the basic principles of international law since their publication 70 years ago, and contributed Asian wisdom to the correct handling of state-to-state relations. The two sides will uphold the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, jointly carry forward the Asian values centered on peace, cooperation, tolerance and integration, adhere to the path of mutual benefit and open cooperation in Asian development, advocate the Bandung spirit of unity, friendship and cooperation, and help stabilize and progress in Asia.
The two countries agreed that peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region must be maintained on the basis of respecting sovereignty and observing agreed rules and norms. The two countries agreed to safeguard Southeast Asia’s efforts as a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in accordance with the Treaty on Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, and make contributions to global disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
(vii) The continuing war in Gaza has caused a severe and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, which has seriously affected the civilian population. Both sides expressed serious concern about this. The two sides stressed the need to protect civilians in Gaza in accordance with international law, and urged an immediate and permanent ceasefire to stop the war, ensure unimpeded humanitarian assistance, and protect humanitarian aid and medical personnel. The two sides reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, including the right to establish an independent Palestinian state, and urged the United Nations Security Council to reconsider Palestine’s application to become a full member of the United Nations in accordance with resolution A/RES/ES-10/23 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on May 10, 2024. The two countries fully support the resumption of the political settlement process of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the "two-state plan" and promote the comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue at an early date.
Premier Li Qiang thanked the Malaysian government and people for their warm and friendly reception and invited Malaysian leaders to visit China at their convenience. Malaysian leaders expressed their gratitude and accepted the invitation with pleasure.
During the visit, the Prime Ministers of the two countries witnessed the exchange of notes on the following cooperation documents:
I. Five-year Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government (2024-2028)
2. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government on Strengthening Investment Cooperation in the Digital Economy.
III. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government on Promoting Investment Cooperation in Green Development.
4. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government on Cooperation in Housing and Urban Construction.
5. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government on Science and Technology Humanities Exchange Program.
6. Memorandum of Understanding on Higher Education Cooperation between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government.
VII. Implementation Plan of the Cultural Cooperation Agreement between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government (2024-2029)
8. Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government.
IX. Cooperation Agreement between the Government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Malaysian Government on Preventing and Combating Transnational Crime
X. Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Ministry of Interior of Malaysia on Mutual Visa Waiver Arrangement.
XI. Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia on Plant Quarantine Requirements for Fresh Durian Exported to China from Malaysia.
XII. Joint Statement of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Finance of Malaysia on "Single Window" Cooperation in International Trade.
XIII. Memorandum of Understanding between the State Post Bureau of the People’s Republic of China and Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Committee on Strengthening Cooperation in the Postal Field.
14. Memorandum of Understanding on Media Cooperation between China Central Radio and Television Station and Malaysian Government.