“Ｍａｌａｙｓｉａ－Ｃｈｉｎａ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ Ｅｖｅｎｉｎｇ ２００９” Ｈｅｌｄ

The CPAFFC， the Embassy of Malaysia in China， the Malaysia-China Friendship Association and the Malaysia-China Business Council jointly hosted the “Malaysia-China Friendship Evening 2009” at the Conference Hall of the China World Hotel in Beijing on June 4 in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and the visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak attended and spoke at the event.

On behalf of the Chinese Government， Vice Premier Li Keqiang extended heart-felt thanks to the friends of various circles who have cared for and supported the development of China-Malaysia relations over the years. He pointed out， 35 years ago， Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak， the late father of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak， made a historical visit to China. With wisdom and courage， leaders of the older generation of the two countries forged diplomatic ties， opening a new chapter of China-Malaysia and China-ASEAN relations. It is of profound significance that we gather here today with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and friendly personages of various circles of the two countries to mark the 35th anniversary of our diplomatic relations and cherish the memory of the older generation of leaders and their outstanding contribution to the growth of China-Malaysia relations.

Li said， over the past 35 years， China and Malaysia have witnessed deepened political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation in various fields， and cooperated well in major international and regional issues. China and Malaysia have become each other’s reliable neighbours and partners of mutually beneficial cooperation. The growth of our bilateral relations has brought tangible benefits to the people of our two countries and contributed to peace and development in our region.

Li noted， the sound bilateral relations we enjoy today profited from the traditional friendship， the broad common interests and the great importance attached by both countries’ leaders to promoting the ties. Under the new situation， China-Malaysia relations are facing new opportunities for development and greater potentials for cooperation. China wishes to join Malaysia to cope with the international financial crisis and implement the Joint Action Plan on China-Malaysia Strategic Cooperation to bring about a better future for bilateral relations by enriching the contents， opening up new fields and elevating the level of their strategic cooperation.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said， we are full of respect for the older generation of leaders of our two countries who charted a new course for Malaysia-China relations and proud of our country being the first among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to establish diplomatic relations with China 35 years ago. At present when Malaysia and China are both accelerating their development， there is great room for practical cooperation between them. The new Malaysian administration wishes to enhance all-round cooperation with China in a bid to lift bilateral ties to a new historical level.

President Gu Xiulian of the China-ASEAN Association and Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Liu Jian among over 700 friendly personages from the two countries were present at the “China-Malaysia Friendship Evening”， at which Chinese and Malaysian artists gave excellent performances with distinctive national features.