(Sepang, 15th) President Xi Jinping of China arrived in Malaysia this evening for a 3-day official visit.
Xi Jinping's visit is upon the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the National King, and this is his second visit to Malaysia since 2013 during his 12 years of leadership in China.
The special plane carrying Xi Jinping landed at 6:30 PM at the Hibiscus Square of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where he was personally welcomed by Prime Minister Dato' Sri Anwar. Among those present were Foreign Minister Dato' Sri Mohamad Hasan, Minister of Transport and Minister attendant Anthony Loke, and the Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, Ouyang Yujing.
He then inspected the guard of honor formed by 28 officers and soldiers from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial Unit), commanded by Lieutenant Muhamad Nafis.
Upon his arrival, Xi Jinping received a warm welcome with a cultural performance by the Arjunasukma Academy from Emak, showcasing a fusion of Malay, Chinese, and Indian traditional drum music.
The 32-member band from Kajang Yu Hua Secondary School in Kuala Lumpur performed the Malay folk song "Lenggang Kangkung" and the patriotic song "Sejahtera Malaysia".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Xi Jinping's state visit is treated with high-level hospitality; during his visit, he will call upon His Majesty the National King at the National Palace, where a state banquet will be held in honor of Xi and his delegation.
According to the itinerary, Xi Jinping, along with senior officials from the Chinese government, will discuss bilateral cooperation with Prime Minister Dato' Sri Anwar and exchange views on common interests regarding regional and international issues. Anwar will also host a welcoming dinner at the Prime Minister's residence in Putrajaya.
This is one of Xi Jinping's visits to Southeast Asia, coming after his visits to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
During his 2013 visit to Malaysia, the China-Malaysia relationship was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Since establishing diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year, with their bilateral relationship continuing to deepen and strengthen robustly.
Since 2009, China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.
In 2024, the total trade volume between the two countries exceeded 484.12 billion Malaysian Ringgit, accounting for 16.8% of Malaysia's global trade volume of 2.88 trillion Ringgit.
As the ASEAN host and coordinator of the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, Malaysia will continue to promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and China.
The Foreign Ministry stated that this goal will be achieved through dialogue, mutual trust, and initiatives that bring tangible benefits to the people of ASEAN and China.