KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake a Working Visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on 17th September 2023, at the invitation of the Chinese Premier, Li Qiang, to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its statement said, Prime Minister will be accompanied by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Datuk Mohamad Alamin representing Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir; Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz; Minister of Local Government Development, Nga Kor Ming; Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Chan Foong Hin, as well as senior government officials.
The statement added, at the event, Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a remark at the opening ceremony of the CAEXPO and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS), alongside Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other ASEAN leaders.
“Prime Minister Anwar will also be officiating the “Malaysia Pavilion” during the event. Apart from the Expo, Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Premier Li Qiang.
“Both leaders will discuss the state of Malaysia-China bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern. Premier Li Qiang will also host a luncheon in honour of Prime Minister Anwar,” the statement said.
The statement highlighted that CAEXPO is one of the international exhibitions co-organised by the PRC and ASEAN, which serves as a crucial platform for businessmen and enterprises from the ASEAN region and the PRC to explore business synergies and promote their products within the world’s largest free trade area.
“Malaysia has been participating in this Expo since its inception in 2004. This year, a total of 107 Malaysian companies will participate in the Expo under the Malaysian pavilion, coordinated by the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).
“The industry clusters promoted by Malaysia at the event include services; food and beverages; health and wellness; lifestyle, and green products. Malaysia’s participation in the 20th CAEXPO is part of its continuous efforts to forge closer economic ties with the Government of the PRC as well as the business communities in the region,” the statement said.
According to the Ministry, Prime Minister’s visit to the PRC will enable both sides to broaden and deepen existing partnership, identify new potential areas of cooperation and strengthen business networking between the private sectors of both countries.
The statement added, the Prime Minister’s presence at CAEXPO also coincides with the 10th Anniversary of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership this year and prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024.
“In 2022, the PRC was ASEAN’s largest trading partner with total trade amounting to RM3.19 trillion (USD722.2 billion), an increase of 7.8 percent from 2021. In addition, the PRC’s foreign direct investment in ASEAN was valued at RM67.52 billion (USD15.3 billion) in the same year. – Malaysia World News
