The construction site of the Infinaxis Data Center project in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. File photo: courtesy of CSCEC

China-Malaysia cooperation in high-tech industries such as big data, 5G is picking up pace and will further expand, as the two countries have agreed to explore cooperation on new quality productive forces, according to Chinese and Malaysian business representatives. 

In the context of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Malaysia, the two countries on Thursday issued a joint statement on building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future. Among the 56 items listed in the joint statement, the two sides agreed, to the extent practicable, to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces. 

Notably, the joint statement, published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated that by focusing on four key areas of digital economy, green economy, blue economy and tourism economy, the two sides will expand future economic cooperation. 

The outcomes of the visit and the focus on high-tech industries for future cooperation have garnered widespread attention in Malaysia, with business representatives from both sides noting the already growing cooperation in this area and its vast potential going forward. 

About 40 minutes away from downtown Kuala Lumpur, in the Malaysian tech hub of Cyberjaya, final work on a huge data center is underway. "It is expected to be completed and put into operation in June," a staff member of China State Construction Engineering (M) SDN BHD, a subsidiary of the state-owned firm China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC), who is related to the project, told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that the project is the first of its kind undertaken by the firm.  

The Infinaxis Data Center project is an example of the shift in China-Malaysia cooperation from being mainly focused on infrastructure projects toward high-tech projects.

"We are actually constantly transforming. Previously, we were mostly focused on construction of buildings, but gradually we are moving toward 'new infrastructure' projects like data centers," Huang Yidong, vice general manager of Malaysian Main Branch of CSCEC, told the Global Times.

CSCEC is not alone in moving toward this new trend of China-Malaysia cooperation. Many Chinese high-tech companies have already launched various collaborations in the Malaysian market. 

For example, in the big data industry, data centers built by companies such as GDS and Chindata Group have sprung up, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing told the Global Times in a recent interview, also noting growing cooperation in areas such as new-energy vehicles with operations of Chinese firms Geely and Chery in Malaysia.

The growing presence of Chinese tech firms in the Malaysian market was also on vivid display at a newly opened commercial skyscraper - the Exchange 106. Chinese telecom giant Huawei and other high-tech firms in areas such as satellite have moved in, Pei Pei, a marketing manager at the building, told the Global Times, noting that cooperation in 5G and other high-tech areas is accelerating.

Gan Tian Loo, the vice president of the Association of Interaction Malaysia-China and former special envoy to China for the government of the Malaysian state of Malacca, said that there is great potential for high-tech cooperation that will benefit both countries. 

"The cooperation between Malaysia and China in the field of high-tech is expected to continue to create tens of thousands of high-tech jobs that benefit the general public," Gan said, adding that such cooperation creates "new opportunities" for Malaysia's development and Chinese companies' investment and expansion.

The staff member at CSCEC also said that the two countries' focus on high-quality and sustainable cooperation in fields such as green development and the digital economy will bring major opportunities for technological upgrading, low-carbon transformation and cross-sector collaboration. 

Noting the visit is profoundly significant for China-Malaysia ties and achieved fruitful results, Gan said that he also paid special attention to specific cooperation areas such as the official signing of the visa exemption agreement for official and ordinary passport holders of the two countries. Against the backdrop of prominent instability and complexity in the world, "China's visa-free policy is a driving force to promote connectivity between the international community, including Malaysia and China," he said. 

Asked to comment on the China-Malaysia visa exemption agreement, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that this move will definitely boost personnel exchanges between the two countries and bilateral interactions and cooperation in various fields, and take the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future to new heights.