Malaysia will continue to deepen friendly cooperation with China and jointly develop cutting-edge industries, said Nur Jazlan, deputy president of the Malaysian Senate.
In an interview with media when attending the 2026 RCEP Local Governments and Friendship Cities Cooperation (Huangshan) Forum held in east China's Anhui Province on May 27-29, Nur Jazlan said that bilateral economic ties between China and Malaysia have been deepening over the past years with closer people-to-people exchanges. The partnership between the two countries is genuine and stable, he noted.
Referring to regional cooperation, Nur Jazlan said that cooperation between Malaysia and China's Anhui Province has great potential, expressing his expectations for deeper ties in tourism, cutting-edge industries, automobile industry and agriculture.
The launch of direct flights between Malaysia and Anhui has greatly facilitated people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, said Nur Jazlan, adding that there remains enormous untapped potential for deeper tourism cooperation.
Speaking of industrial cooperation, Nur Jazlan expressed strong confidence in the prospects for collaboration between Malaysia and Anhui. He noted that Anhui enjoys strengths in cutting-edge industries such as aerospace and artificial intelligence (AI), from which Malaysia can benefit. The two sides can work together to nurture emerging industries across Southeast Asia.
Anhui is home to a mature automotive industry. Nur Jazlan expected more Anhui-based automakers to establish new energy assembly and manufacturing facilities in Malaysia. He also suggested deepening cooperation between universities of the two sides to cultivate more talents in fields such as AI and the new economy, building a strong talent pool to support regional development.
He pointed out that as one of the major grain-producing provinces in China, Anhui has increased agricultural productivity through the application of advanced technologies. As agriculture is equally critical to Malaysia's food security, cooperation with Anhui in the agricultural field is of strategic importance for Malaysia. He highlighted the vast cooperation opportunities in food processing industry, particularly freeze-dried foods, in the backdrop of accelerating urbanization and faster-paced lifestyles.
As an annual national-level institutional forum, the forum has become an important platform for exchanges and cooperation between Anhui and member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) since its inaugural session in 2023. (Edited by Li Xueqing with Xinhua Silk Road, lixueqing@xinhua.org)
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