RICH FRUITS

Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations, especially after China's reforms and opening up, Malaysia companies, including those owned by overseas Chinese in the country, have been investing heavily and thus made great contributions to China's economy. On the other hand, more and more Chinese companies are looking for opportunities in Malaysia.

China is now Malaysia's largest trading partner globally, and Malaysia is China biggest trading partner among 10 ASEAN countries and set to become the third countries to have annual trade volume with China of 100 billion U.S. dollars in Asia by the end of 2013, after Japan and South Korea.

According to the latest statistics by China's General Administration of Customs, total trade volume between Malaysia and China recorded a 12.1 percent increase year-on-year to 85.85 billion U.S. dollars in the first ten months of 2013, nearly a quarter of the total trade between China and ASEAN.

In a move to further boot trade and investment, China and Malaysia have set up two joint industrial parks in Qinzhou, China and Kuantan, Malaysia, respectively.

China has also agreed to loan a pair of giant pandas, expected to arrive in early 2014 in conjunction with celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties, as symbols for the great friendship.

In fact, the bilateral relations are supported by the close rapport and frequent exchange between top leaders, as Xi said he and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak "feel like old friends at the first meeting."

When Najib visited China for the first time as Prime Minister in 2009, he was presented a gift by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao a photo picturing Prime Minister Razak, Najib's late father, signing the joint communique to establish diplomatic ties with China's then Premier Zhou Enlai.