TIMELY VISIT BY CHINESE PRESIDENT TO MALAYSIA

By Jamaluddin Muhammad

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to
Malaysia next week will mark a major step forward in bilateral relations between
the two countries.

The fact that Hu is visiting Malaysia will surely send a strong message to
the world that these two countries must have a very special relationship to
warrant a visit by the president himself.

The visit will indicate that the bilateral relationship between the two
countries is not going to be dependent on nostalgic and historical ties alone,
but also on the current reality and the interests of both nations.

Professor Dr Mohamed Mustaffa Ishak, professor of Politics and International
Studies of Universiti Utara Malaysia, said that Malaysia, its relations with
China came at the right time as it needed to boost its trade relations with
China to overcome the economic slowdown that it was experiencing.

"For Malaysia too, the visit will reaffirm its commitment to China in the
sense that Malaysia was right in making its first move in 1974 with former prime
minister Abdul Razak Hussein's inaugural visit to China that established the
bilateral ties," he said.

He said the relationship had developed and matured significantly in both
politics and international affairs as well as in economics and trade.

For China, he said, Malaysia was a friend to be remembered and honoured as
it had the courage to conduct its foreign policy independently, away from the
typical pro-western template that it used to take prior to Abdul Razak's era, at
a time when China was looking for a friend.

The relationship was estalished at the height of the Cold War, an
ideological warfare between democracy and communist blocs in 1970's, and
Malaysia is the first country from Southeast Asia to extend its hand to China.

In fact, the relationship started 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty when
Admiral Cheng Ho conducted trade with Malaysia (then Malaya), especially
with Peninsular Malaysia's southern state of Melaka.

Hu will be visiting Malaysia for two days beginning next Tuesday to
reciprocate the state visits to China by Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra
Jamalullail in 2005, when he was the Malaysian Supreme King, and by the present
Supreme King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin who attended the official opening of the
Beijing Olympics in August last year.

Prime Minister Najib Razak visited China last June after taking over the
helm of the country last April and the fact that China is the first non-Asean
country that he visited signifies the strategic importance of Beijing in his
foreign policy.

However, Najib had stated that he did not intend to follow the pace of his
father, Abdul Razak, but he wanted to "walk faster and further" in developing
Malaysia's bilateral relations with China as the latter had made a quantum leap
progress in the last three decades.

Bilateral trade between Malaysia and China reached RM130.09 billion in 2008
compared with less than RM100 million 35 years ago when the bilateral ties were
cemented. (US$1=RM3.42)

Malaysia's total trade with China in the first six months this year was
RM54.23 billion with exports and imports amounting to RM27.64 billion and
RM26.58 billion respectively.

During the June visit, Najib wanted to broaden the current narrow base of
Malaysia-China trade because close to 67 per cent of Malaysian exports to China
consisted of electrical and electronic products and commodities, primarily palm
oil.

Similarly, 65 per cent of Malaysian imports from China comprised electrical
and electronic products, machinery, appliances and parts.

Besides manufcturing, the prime minister had said that both countries should
capitalise on each other's strengths in construction, engineering and other
services sectors.

Surely both countries have more room to expand their bilateral trade and
investment, considering China' market size of 1.3 billion people and Malaysia's
27 million population.

Furthermore, tariffs on almost all goods traded between Malaysia and China
will be eliminated by next year following the signing of the Asean-China
Investment Agreement in Thailand last month.

China's recognition as a new economic powerhouse will also contribute to
enhancing the bilateral ties as China is probably the only country in the world
that recorded positive economic growth for the first half of this year despite
the global economic slowdown.

China's National Bureau of Statistics estimated the country's gross domestic
product to increase 7.1 per cent to 13.986 trillion yuan in the first half of
this year after being injected with four trillion yuan economic stimulus package
to boost its economy and domestic demand.

Prof Dr Mohamed Mustaffa said Hu's visit would also contribute to
strengthening domestic political stability.

"Any move to strengthen ties with China would be good for domestic political
stability and create a feel good atmosphere in the country, especially among the
Chinese community in Malaysia which was somewhat a little critical of the
government in recent years as demonstrated in the 2008 general election," he
said.

He said the visit would also enhance the multilateral relationship between
Asean and China with combined gross national products close to US$6 trillion and
a market of 1.9 billion people.

"The visit by President Hu is timely as both countries are still celebrating
their 35th anniversary of relationship.

"The visit will bring great meaning, great impact and great prosperity for
both countries," said Michael Chen, a former minister who was part of Abdul
Razak's entourage to China in 1974 and also Najib's delegation last June.

"I have followed the father and I have followed the son and I have seen
tremendous progress during the past 35 years," he said.
-- BERNAMA