Malaysian Dpm Muhyiddin With Outcome Of China Visit

GUANGZHOU (Bernama) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has
described his maiden official visit to China as "very successful".

He said this was because he had the opportunity to hold talks with top
Chinese leaders such as Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang and
other senior officials.

"It looks very encouraging as Chinese leaders have positive views of
Malaysian government leaders," he told Malaysian journalists here before leaving
for Kunming.

Muhyiddin had arrived in Beijing on Monday for a six-day visit to China, his
first since becoming deputy prime minister.

He said in discussions with Chinese leaders, they had emphasised that
Malaysia and China enjoyed special ties due to historical links and the
recognition accorded by Malaysia with regard to the status of China.

"The history shared by our two countries is something that they won't
forget, that's why they view China-Malaysia relations as special," he said.

Muhyiddin said the close ties between Malaysia and China could be seen in
the exchange of visits between the leaders of both countries.

Wen is expected to make an official visit to Malaysia on April 27 and 28.
Prime Minister Najib Razak had visited China, a country of over one billion
people.

Muhyiddin said Malaysia-China relations could be illustrated by the Malay
proverb "Bagaikan aur dengan tebing", which literally means "like the bamboo
grove and the riverbank".

"It means that we're inseparable, with close linkages at all levels
including leader-to-leader, people-to-people as well as company-to-company," he
said.

Muhyiddin said Malaysian agencies in China would play a more important role
in the next 10 or 20 years.

Describing China as a major trading partner of Malaysia, the deputy prime
minister said Malaysia would seek further economic and trade opportunities with
the world's economic powerhouse.

According to Muhyiddin, Wen was receptive to a suggestion that China should
increase its investments in Malaysia.

The deputy prime minister was confident that the matter would be discussed
in further detail during Wen's visit next week.

He expressed hope that the two countries would look at new fields of
cooperation in efforts to boost bilateral trade and economic linkages.

He said a number of Chinese investors had expressed interest in Malaysia's
renewable energy and tourism sectors.

A total of 131 entry point projects worth billions of ringgit had been
identified by the government to attract investors to Malaysia, he added.

Muhyiddin said he found similarities in development plans crafted by the
two countries, in that they both aspired to become developed nations.

He believed that China's development agenda would benefit Malaysian
investors in China.

Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, had also met his Chinese counterpart
Yuan Guiren, as well as Li.

Malaysia and China are expected to ink education and trade pacts during
Wen's visit to Malaysia.