50th anniversary of ties with China opportunity to boost cooperation: Malaysian official

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia is eyeing more opportunities to cooperate with China on the platform of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, a Malaysian official said on Thursday.

Not only is the government eyeing better people-to-people ties, it is also stepping up efforts to foster business-to-business ties, especially in terms of joint ventures, Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, the minister of Investment, Trade and Industry told Xinhua.

"We are participating in major trade events, (and) we are trying to improve the trade numbers that we already have. In terms of people-to-people ties, especially on the business side, we are focusing on how Malaysian companies together with Chinese companies can do a lot more joint ventures in sectors we are promoting," he said.

He added that efforts are underway to facilitate and streamline investments in Malaysia. Additionally, Malaysia is enhancing transparency and improving management and monitoring of investments. The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is expected to produce comprehensive monthly reports on both approved and realized investment values.