CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO VISITS MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrives here
Wednesday for his second official visit to Malaysia, accompanied by a 118-member
delegation, including four ministers.

Several agreements and memoranda of understanding will be signed during the
two-day visit.

Wen and Prime Minister Najib Razak are scheduled to attend the
Malaysia-China Economic, Trade and Investment Forum.

According to Wisma Putra (the Foreign Ministry), the visit allowed Malaysia
and China to take stock of the development of bilateral cooperation in various
areas and follow up on agreements achieved during Najib's visit to China in June
2009.

Wen had attended the first East Asia Summit and the ninth Asean-China Summit
and Asean Plus Three Summit held in Kuala Lumpur from Dec 11 to 15, 2005.

His second visit is to reciprocate Najib's 2009 visit when the Joint Action
Plan on Malaysia-China Strategic Cooperation was issued.

Relations between the two countries were elevated to strategic partnership
covering 12 key areas of cooperation, including politics, economics and
education.

The Foreign Ministry said that Malaysia's bilateral trade with China
increased more than six-fold over the past 10 years, reaching US$45.66 billion
last year, compared with US$6.27 billion in 2000.

In 2010, China was Malaysia's largest trading partner, second largest export
destination and largest source of import.

Wisma Putra added in a statement that Malaysia is China's eighth largest
trading partner, 16th largest export destination and seventh largest source of
import.

Malaysia has also been China's largest trading partner in Asean for three
consecutive years since 2008, it said.