A photo exhibition to mark the 45 years of diplomatic relationship between China and Malaysia has been launched here on Monday.

Organized by the Malaysia - China Chamber of Commerce, the exhibition titled "45 Years of Glory Photo Exhibition", features 120 photographs covering the exchanges and development in politics, society, economy and trade, education, sports and other fields of both countries.

Officiating the exhibition, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the ties between the two countries went back much further than the formal 45-year-old diplomatic relationship and were civilizational in nature.

"The relationship between Malaysia and China is special. As we look at the photos there is this saying, a photo or picture says a thousand words. My message today is that, behind those photos there are these civilizational dynamics which is very important," he said.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian reiterated the close relationship between two countries, as Malaysia was the first member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish diplomatic relations with China.

"Over the past 45 years we have established very strong political trust and we have achieved very tangible long term development of friendly cooperation in many fields and all this points to huge common interests to both countries," he said.

The pictures, which are captioned in Chinese, Malay and English to reach the widest possible audience, will run from May 27 to May 31 in Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur before being taken on a nationwide tour.

China and Malaysia established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974.