SHANGHAI (Nov 4): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is set to invite China’s President Xi Jinping to attend the Asean Summit and the Asean-GCC Summit next year.

This invitation corresponds with Malaysia’s role as the Asean chair for 2025.

The Malaysian ambassador to Beijing, Datuk Norman Muhamad, disclosed this at a press conference here on Monday during the prime minister's visit to China.

“I am confident that the prime minister will highlight our Asean chairmanship, which is very important, and he may extend an invitation to President Xi Jinping to attend both the Asean Summit and the Asean-GCC Summit,” he said.

He added that China regards Asean as a crucial organisation for maintaining regional security and stability.

The prime minister will embark on a two-day visit to Beijing beginning Nov 6, where he is scheduled to meet with President Xi.

“I believe the prime minister will make the most of this opportunity. This visit presents an ideal moment for a face-to-face meeting. While he may also encounter President Xi at forums like Apec or G20, this bilateral setting is more advantageous,” he noted.

Asean-China Dialogue relations began when China’s then-Foreign Minister Qian Qichen attended the opening of the 24th Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Kuala Lumpur in July 1991, as a guest of the Malaysian government. He expressed China’s strong interest in cooperating with Asean for mutual benefit.

In July 1996, China was granted full Dialogue Partner status at the 29th AMM in Jakarta, as documented in an Asean Secretariat Information Paper dated June 12, 2024, available on asean.org.

The Asean-China partnership was further deepened with the signing of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity at the 7th Asean-China Summit in October 2003 in Bali, Indonesia.

Since then, Aseanand China have completed three action plans covering the periods 2005-2010, 2011-2015, and 2016-2020.

The fourth action plan (2021-2025) was adopted in November 2020 by the Asean and Chinese foreign ministers, with an annex adopted in August 2022.

At the 21st Asean-China Summit in 2018, marking the 15th anniversary of the Asean-China Strategic Partnership, leaders adopted the Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, aiming to further strengthen Asean-China cooperation.

Anwar is on a working visit to China from Nov 4 to 7, 2024, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, to attend the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

He arrived on Monday night in Shanghai, marking his first stop before heading to Beijing. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.

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