ANKARA

China and Malaysia premiers agreed to further strengthening bilateral ties including supporting each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

The two leaders met in Shanghai, where Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended the opening ceremony of the six-day China International Import Expo on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Premier Li Qiang said Beijing strongly supports Malaysia's assumption of the rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.


"China is willing to continue firmly supporting each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, strengthening the docking of development strategies and the exchange of experience in governance, improving the layout of cooperation in various fields, and boosting the modernization process of the two countries with high-level strategic cooperation," Xinhua News quoted Li as saying.

For his part, Prime Minister Anwar said that Malaysia will use its ASEAN presidency next year to enhance coordination with China on international and regional issues.

"Malaysia is also keen to boost bilateral trade, particularly in halal products and agri-commodities, while fostering strong exchanges in research, development, and technical expertise," he said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Anwar also congratulated Li for hosting a successful China International Import Expo.


"I highlighted Malaysia’s openness to deepening strategic partnerships and welcoming greater investments in high-quality technology, digital economy initiatives, education, and other skill-intensive sectors," Anwar added.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid