CHINA'S ENVOY CONSIDERS TRADE EXPANSION AS TOP PRIORITY

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Bernama) -- China's Ambassador to Malaysia, Liu
Jian, says expansion of trade and investment between Malaysia and China is top
priority for him this year as several trade agreements, including its free trade
pact with Asean, come into force.

Speaking at a luncheon with the Malaysian media at his residence here
Monday, he expressed confidence that the full implementation of the China-Asean
Free Trade Area (FTA) this year would accelerate economic development between
China and Malaysia.

Liu said he expected trade exchanges between Malaysian and Chinese
businessmen to reach new heights this year especially with the implementation of
these agreements and in tandem with the global economic recovery.

"Our businesses are already actively pursuing their trade links with their
Malaysian counterparts, and we would like to welcome Malaysian companies to
continue investing in China," the envoy said.

Liu said in 2009, the bilateral trade volume reached US$50 billion (about
RM170.1 billion), and he envisaged the volume to grow further.

He said that bilateral ties between Malaysia and China entered a new chapter
following visits by both national leaders to each other's country last year.

Both countries formalised three agreements and one memorandum of
understanding (MoU) when Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak made his
first official visit to China in June 2009.

The first agreement signed between Malaysia and China witnessed by Najib and
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was the Malaysia-China Joint Action Plan on
Strategic Cooperation.

The second agreement was the Abolition of Visa Agreement which covered
regulations on the travel of holders of diplomatic and official or service
passports. These personnel will no longer be required to get visas for travel to
China or Malaysia.

The third document signed between the two countries was the Marine Science
and Technology Cooperation Agreement.

The MoU signed was the Malaysia-China Postal Cooperation MoU.

On concerns by Malaysian businessmen that they would lose out to large
Chinese corporations with full implementation of the Asean-China Free Trade
Zone, Liu said the agreement was based on common interest.

The free trade area will be carried out in two stages. The first stage of
implementation is between China and the few founding members of Asean. By 2015,
the full Asean-China Free Trade Area will then be expanded to cover all the
newer Asean nations.

The 10 Asean countries plus China would have a total potential market for
1.9 billion people, and it could become one of the world's new economies
comparable to the European Union and the North American economic bloc, he said.

On education, Liu also expressed hope that there would be closer
collaboration between Malaysia and China in this area.

He said there were about 10,000 Chinese students studying in Malaysia.

At the same time, there were also about 2,000 Malaysian students doing their
courses in China, he added.

Liu said the number of Chinese and Malaysian students pursuing courses in
each other's country were on the increase, and hoped that more non-Chinese
students from Malaysia would study in the republic.

He also stressed that the mutual recognition of university degrees from
both nations would require the joint efforts of both Malaysia and China and
hoped both sides would encourage their students to study in each other's
country by providing scholarships to the students.

On tourism, Liu said China was currently expanding its tourism market and
would encourage more of its citizens to visit Malaysia.

He said an estimated one million Malaysians visited China last year.

Similarly, he added, some one million Chinese nationals visited Malaysia
last year, with more expected to come, especially parents of students pursuing
their studies in Malaysia.
-- BERNAMA


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