ELEVATE TIES

The already close relations were boosted by the state visit of Xi as China's new leader. During the visit, China and Malaysia moved to a new level of bilateral cooperation by lifting their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and inked a five- year program for economic and trade cooperation, announcing to expand annual bilateral trade to 160 billion U.S. dollars by 2017.

"The fact that President Xi Jinping has chosen to visit Malaysia less than a year after he assumed office is a testament to the excellent existing bilateral relations and reflects China's deep commitment to further strengthen the close ties with Malaysia during his presidency," Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman told Xinhua ahead of Xi's visit.

As Xi pointed out during the visit, "China highly values its relationship with Malaysia, which is taking the lead in China's relations with ASEAN members."

For his part, Prime Minister Najib said that his country hopes to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership with China.

"China is a trustworthy friend of Malaysia," he said. "Our bilateral relations enjoy vast prospects," said Najib.