Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and Malaysia's trade minister Mustapa Mohamed co-chaired the 10th Meeting of China-Malaysia Trade and Economic Joint Committee in Beijing on the afternoon of September 8.
Minister Gao Hucheng expressed his congratulation to Malaysia for its successfully hosting the East Asian Trade Ministers Meeting as the rotating presidency. The Chinese side highly applauded the leading and coordinate role which Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Minister Mustapa Mohamed played in serial meetings and their contribution to promoting the upgrading of China-ASEAN FTA negotiations and RCEP negotiations.
Gao Hucheng said, under the guide of the leaders of both sides, the China-Malaysia trade and economic cooperation displays robust vigor and impetus. The bilateral trade maintains rapid growth, Malaysia has been China’s largest trade partner in ASEAN for seven consecutive years, and the bilateral trade value has hit US$100 billion for two years in a row. The two-way investment remains active and the industrial park construction is steadily advanced. The Chinese side would like to talk with the Malaysian side about the converging points and cooperation opportunity of the 21th Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, and Malaysia’s economic development strategy, aiming to genuinely implement them in trade and economic areas. In this regard, the Chinese side suggests that we should dock the strategies of both sides, further bilateral trade and two-way investment, strengthen the coordination and support each other in infrastructure construction and connectivity, use their separate advantages to promote international capacity and equipment manufacturing cooperation, accelerate the construction of “two countries, two industrial parks” and realize synchronous and coordinative development. Efforts will also be made to support and encourage bilateral local and civil business cooperation and enhance China-ASEAN FTA upgrading negotiations and RCEP negotiations.
Mustapa said the Malaysia side would continue to play a part as the rotating presidency and join efforts with the Chinese side to coordinate with all sides to speed up the negotiations. The Malaysia side would like to make close cooperation with the Chinese side and strive to complete the China-ASEAN FTA upgrading negotiations and RCEP substantive negotiations before the end of 2015 in line with the schedule made by country leaders of both sides.
Mustapa said Malaysia would like to further upgrade Malaysia-China ties, especially the bilateral trade and economic relations, actively engage itself in the 21th Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, and well implement the five years’ planning of China-Malaysia trade and economic cooperation. China is Malaysia’s largest trading partner, and the Malaysia-China two-way investment is in constant growth, so the Chinese enterprises are welcome to make investment in Malaysia. He hoped the two sides would strengthen their cooperation in halal food, bird’s nest trade and tourism.
Gao Hucheng and Mustapa signed the minutes of meeting after the meeting.
