Wang Yi Speaks with Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah on the Phone

On September 29, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah at the latter's request.

Wang Yi said, China and Malaysia are close and friendly neighbors. We are good partners jointly seeking development and good friends looking out for and helping each other. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 12 years in a row and largest investor in manufacturing for five consecutive years, highlighting the enormous complementarity and cooperation potential in the two countries' economies. The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges, give full play to the role of the new mechanism, namely the High-Level Committee on Malaysia-China Post Pandemic Cooperation, deepen high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), make the twin industrial parks, including the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park, stronger and more concrete, and explore cooperation in emerging areas, including 5G, big data, and cloud computing.

Noting that fighting the COVID-19 pandemic is a pressing task at present, Wang Yi said, China will continue to provide support to Malaysia's pandemic response, vigorously promote vaccine cooperation between the two sides, and make joint efforts to tackle the challenges in the post-pandemic era. China is willing to work with Malaysia to continue to hold high the banner of fighting COVID-19 in solidarity, and stick to the just position against the stigmatization of the pandemic and the politicization of origins tracing.

Wang Yi said, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative at the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. This initiative, which adheres to the core concept of putting people at the center, follows the guidelines for practical cooperation, and brings forward cooperation proposals on poverty alleviation, food security and other issues of common interest, is a major public good offered by China. China welcomes Malaysia to actively participate in the initiative and work with China to build more international consensus and foster greater synergy for stronger, greener, and healthier development of the globe, so as to accelerate the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Saifuddin extended warm congratulations on the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and made positive remarks on the leading role played by China in fighting the pandemic in solidarity and facilitating common development. Malaysia highly praises and thanks China for providing it with vaccines and carrying out cooperation in vaccine research and production, and is willing to discuss cooperation with China on traditional Chinese medicine. Malaysia is firmly committed to developing relations with China in the hope of working together to further tap the potential of Belt and Road cooperation and push the greater development of Malaysia-China relations.

Saifuddin said, the Global Development Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping just in time, meets the urgent needs of today's world, and shows China's moral responsibility to respond to global challenges. The Malaysian side supports and endorses the Global Development Initiative, which, like the BRI, reflects the ideas of openness, inclusiveness and people first always advocated by China.

The two sides agreed to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to elevate the China-ASEAN strategic partnership to a new level.

Both sides also exchanged in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern, such as nuclear non-proliferation and the situation in Afghanistan.