On August 4, 2021, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong met with Malaysian Ambassador to China Raja Dato' Nushirwan Zainal Abidin. The two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, the joint fight against COVID-19 and the international and regional issues of common concern.

Liu said that China and Malaysia are traditionally friendly neighbors and Malaysia was once an important hub of the "Maritime Silk Road" in the Malay Dynasty. The friendship spread by Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans is still deeply rooted in the heart of the two peoples. In the face of COVID-19, China and Malaysia have helped each other to overcome difficulties, vividly interpreting the Malay proverb "bukit sama didaki, lurah sama dituruni", which means to climb the hill together and go down the ravine together. In the first half of this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia increased by 44 percent to nearly 81.8 billion U.S. dollars, far exceeding the trade volume between China and many major regional countries. We hope that the two sides will continue to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, promote the implementation of key projects such as the "Two Countries, Twin Parks", foster new growth areas of cooperation, and work together to consolidate and upgrade the industrial, supply, data, value and talent chains, so as to help the economic recovery and development of our countries and the region.

Nushirwan spoke highly of China's development achievements and China's positive contributions to the international pandemic response. He said that Malaysia-China relations are now in a "golden era" and Malaysia is willing to continue to enhance traditional friendship with China, deepen anti-pandemic and development cooperation, and push for the greater development of the Malaysia-China comprehensive strategic partnership.