China's growth means new opportunities for cooperation between China and Malaysia, Chinese Vice-Premier Li Lanqing said Monday in Kuala Lumpur.
During his official visit to Malaysia, Li met Monday with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mahathir Bin Mohamad in Kuala Lumpur, capital of the country.
Li said China will stick to its policy of friendly relations with Malaysia and continue to develop the friendship between the two countries in the new century.
He expressed appreciation to Mahathir for his attention and support to Sino-Malaysian friendship, which has seen unprecedentedly rapid growth in recent years.
As an old friend of the Chinese people, Mahathir has also played an active role in promoting China's cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Li said China is discussing with the ASEAN on the issue of establishing a free trade zone. This marks the good-neighborly partnership of mutual trust between China and the ASEAN and regional cooperation in East Asian have progressed to a new stage, he said.
Li said developing countries should explore and conduct variousforms of cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit.
Mahathir said an increasingly prosperous China will help expand bilateral trade between Malaysia and China, increase personnel exchanges and create more business opportunities for enterprises in both countries.
He emphasized that Malaysia supports China to develop relationswith the ASEAN in an all-round way. He expressed the wish that the East Asian nations will strengthen solidarity and cooperation so as to speak louder in one voice in international affairs. He also expressed the wish to deepen and expand the area of cooperation with China.