COMMENT | After a long wait, Chinese President Xi Jinping completed his state visit to Malaysia from April 15 to 17. This was his first state visit to Malaysia in 13 years.

The outcomes of the visit were formalised in a joint statement and the signing of 31 bilateral agreements and memoranda, covering a wide spectrum of issues from global security to a bilateral visa exemption policy.

Malaysia’s endorsement of China’s Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and Global Civilisation Initiative, and the inclusion of Kuala Lumpur in the 2+2 vice-ministerial meeting framework, and the mutual agreement to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future were among the key developments.

Among these initiatives, the Global Security Initiative is particularly notable, as it has been framed as a flagship public good offered by China.

During the signing ceremony, the Global Security Initiative was prioritised as the first agreement, a symbolic indication of its significance.

Malaysia’s extraordinary warm reception, coupled with Malaysian police’s contentious pre-emptive detention of 76 Falun Gong practitioners before Xi’s visit, signified that Malaysia-China relations were entering a “new golden era”, as hailed by both Malaysian and Chinese leaders.