This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 19, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Daim Zainuddin, the chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons advising the government, met with China’s Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi in Beijing yesterday.

Wang said the relationship between China and Malaysia has lasted a long time, going beyond a comprehensive strategic partnership, and each country is a pragmatic cooperation partner to each other, which can withstand any challenges, according to a statement on the ministry’s website yesterday.

“Both countries have just formed a new term of government recently, hence the bilateral relationship is at a new historical starting point,” he said.

“China is willing to strengthen its strategic development connection with Malaysia, deepen ‘One Belt, One Road’ cooperation, increase the volume of win-win collaboration, while strengthening coordination on international and regional matters, to benefit both countries’ people and facilitate regional development,” he added.

Daim said Malaysia and China and the people from both countries have had a friendly relationship traditionally, and the new Malaysian government highly values their bilateral relationship.

Daim also said that the Malaysian government is supportive of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative collaboration proposal.

“[Prime Minister] Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad understands China, and has been proactively developing the relationship with China. He hopes to make his official visit to the country [as soon as possible] to discuss with China’s leadership about future collaboration plans,” he said.