People visit the booth of Malaysia during the 20th China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 19, 2023.(Photo: Xinhua)

Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit to China, his first visit to the country since he took the post in December 2023. Chinese experts said this visit could pave the way for future high-level exchanges between the two countries and also aims to implement a series of consensus reached by the two heads of state in 2023. 

Some experts hailed China-Malaysia relations as exemplary and pragmatic among China's relations with ASEAN countries. Despite changes in the Malaysian government since 2018, the major direction of cooperation between China and Malaysia has not been significantly impacted. 

Malaysia's stance on the South China Sea issue is relatively pragmatic and moderate, emphasizing dialogue concerning the issue, which will also send out a positive signal to the region, especially when the Philippines continues to provoke tensions under the US' instigation, experts said.  

The Malaysian Foreign Minister arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, and will hold crucial meetings with Chinese leaders, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and discussing key regional and international issues as the two countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties and 11 years since elevation of relations to comprehensive strategic partnership, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said in a post on social media platform X. 

In Beijing, the Malaysian senior diplomat will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, which will be an opportunity for both sides to take stock of the progress in bilateral cooperation and explore new areas of cooperation, according to a statement released by the Malaysian foreign ministry on Tuesday. 

He is also scheduled to meet Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and other leaders of the CPC, and will also engage with the Malaysian diaspora during the visit, the statement said. 

"This visit primarily focuses on implementing the consensus reached between the leaders during [Prime Minister] Anwar Ibrahim's visit to China last year," Ge Hongliang, vice dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

It will also focus on advancing the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the strategic alignment of three major initiatives under Malaysia Madani (a policy framework that focuses on good governance and sustainable development), Ge said. As the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the visit serves to review past developments and envision the future of China-Malaysia relations, he added. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Beijing on March 31, 2023.

Anwar said that the China-proposed Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) echo Malaysia Madani. He recognizes China's protection of mosques and respect for freedom of religious belief, and said Malaysia is willing to deepen dialogue on civilization with China.

In August 2023, Anwar met with Wang Yi in Penang. Wang said the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has yielded fruitful results, and the construction of the East Coast Rail Link and "Two Countries, Twin Parks" has achieved good economic and social effects. The two countries enjoy broad prospects for practical cooperation.

The main purpose of the Malaysian Foreign Minister's visit is to prepare for future high-level exchanges, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Anwar invited Chinese President Xi and Premier Li Qiang to visit Malaysia in 2024 to commemorate five decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries, local news site The Star reported in September 2023. 

April has witnessed a host of high-level visits from other Southeast Asian countries to China besides Malaysia. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang also held talks with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region earlier in April, and just concluded visits to Indonesia and Cambodia. 

Such frequent interactions between China and ASEAN countries signal a consensus on maintaining regional security, stability and peace, Ge said, noting that there is also a hope for certain country to stop provoking on the South China Sea issue. 

The recent frequent high-level interactions between China and the ASEAN countries send a signal that attempting to stand against China and amplify differences is not beneficial for these countries, Xu noted. "Only through cooperation with China can real benefits be obtained."

"It's not only Malaysia, I think a lot of countries also don't like conflict, so a lot of countries are going for cooperation, well-being, and we grow together," said Mohammad Faisal Bin Abu Suaib Khan, Executive Secretary of the UMNO Malaysia Election Department. "So expectation for me as a Malaysian, we expect what is positive, we share together," he said. 

With China, this 50 years of anniversary between Malaysia and China, we hope it can be the prosperity for all of us, the Malaysian official said. 

Malaysia plays a significant role within ASEAN, including its cooperation with China among the ASEAN countries, some experts said. 

On the South China Sea issue, "Malaysia has consistently maintained a pragmatic and moderate approach," Ge said, noting that the Southeast Asian country places greater emphasis on dialogue with China on the issue.