IN commemorating 50 years of China-Malaysia diplomatic ties, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hailed the avant-garde thoughts of leaders of the two countries.
He said these allowed bilateral relations to blossom into a "rich and fruitful partnership".
Like many members of Asean, Malaysia's foreign policy centres on peace and non-alignment and promotes South-South cooperation.
Over the last decade, this policy has helped Malaysia strengthen relations with Beijing to a comprehensive strategic partnership, one of the "most cordial and productive" relationships in the Asia-Pacific.
An agreement to exercise self-restraint and settle peacefully differences in the South China Sea reflects its pacific approach, which prevents territorial issues from hurting bilateral ties.
Anwar is a staunch opponent of western efforts to contain China as these could sow discord in the region.
"The obstacles being placed against China's economic and technological advancement will only further accentuate such grievances," he said at the Australian National University in March.
He sees the action as an attempt to deny China its "legitimate place in history".
Anwar rejects the "fatalistic view" that great-power rivalry has become a structural feature of regional affairs.
He continues to make efforts to prevent this rivalry from jeopardising the regional economy and peace.
In Australia, the prime minister defended Malaysia's relationship with China, saying that it is a leading investment and trading partner.
And in Japan recently, Anwar emphasised that China is "too close, too important and too strategic to ignore". He urged America to abandon protectionism and respect competitiveness.
This strong Malaysia-China economic relationship is evolving into greater people-to-people exchanges. Tourist arrivals from China in the first four months of the year jumped 217 per cent, making Malaysia one of the top three destinations for Chinese tourists.
China is also a major source of foreign direct investment. In 2023, it was among Malaysia's five largest sources of investments.
The New Industrial Master Plan 2030, which seeks to capitalise on the China-US trade tensions and make Malaysia a high-tech nation and manufacturing hub, is Anwar's priority.
During his visit to China, the prime minister gained Beijing's support for the initiative and the proposed Asian Monetary Fund that will serve as a lender of last resort in the event of a regional financial crisis and, alongside other mechanisms, aspires to promote local currencies in regional trade.
European countries wanting to export products to China are also moving production to Malaysia, which boosts the Malaysian economic and industrial transformation.
Growing trade between the two countries, increased inflows of Chinese investments, visa-free policies and steady progress of infrastructure and development projects in Malaysia, as well as technology cooperation, demonstrate that this partnership, premised on mutual respect and understanding, can contribute to bilateral and regional peace and prosperity.
Anticipating China's rise as an economic power, Malaysia in 1974 demonstrated pragmatism by pitching itself as a non-aligned country; half a century later, it continues to hold the banner of neutrality high so that it doesn't miss out on economic opportunities.
The writer is a geopolitical analyst with a keen interest in the economy, climate change and regional conflicts
