Chinese President Xi Jinping is warmly welcomed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other senior officials at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 15, 2025. Xi arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to pay a state visit to Malaysia at the invitation of King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kuala Lumpur at dusk on Tuesday for a state visit to Malaysia. Xi was warmly welcomed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

In a written statement released upon his arrival, Xi expressed the hope for fruitful outcomes from the visit that would usher in a new "Golden 50 Years" for bilateral relations.

The two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2024. In 2023, Xi met with Anwar in Beijing, where the two sides agreed to jointly build a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

Malaysia is the second leg of Xi's ongoing tour of Southeast Asia, which will also take him to Cambodia later this week. The visit is his second trip to Malaysia as the Chinese head of state.

During the visit, Xi will discuss with Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Prime Minister Anwar bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

"The visit by President Xi would continue to strengthen bilateral ties and expand strategic collaboration between the two countries," said Lee Pei May, a political expert at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

"Malaysia and China are neighbors whose relationship will continue to strengthen, capable of enduring both tests of time and adversity," Lee added.

China has remained Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with the volume hitting an all-time high of 212.04 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. In recent years, Malaysia's tropical fruits such as durian, mangosteen and jackfruit have become increasingly popular among Chinese consumers.

In a signed article published in Malaysian media ahead of his arrival, Xi described China and Malaysia as "friendly neighbors across the sea."

He urged both sides to "keep a firm grip" on the strategic helm that guides bilateral friendship, highlighting how China and Malaysia made the decision to establish diplomatic ties more than half a century ago by "breaking through the gloom of the Cold War."

"China will work with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism, in keeping with the historical trend of peace and development," Xi wrote.

Malaysia was the first ASEAN country to establish diplomatic relations with China. It currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship for 2025.

Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, a local research institute, noted that China continues to benefit Malaysia and its other ASEAN trade partners, particularly through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, which provides stable and long-term access to the Chinese market.

Xi's visit comes at an opportune time to strengthen economic and trade ties amid global uncertainties, Hassan said.

In the first quarter of this year, ASEAN maintained its position as China's largest trading partner, with total trade reaching 1.71 trillion yuan (234.17 billion dollars) and accounting for 16.6 percent of China's total foreign trade, according to China's General Administration of Customs.

The significance of President Xi's visit goes beyond bilateral relations, said Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific.

"It will greatly impact ASEAN-China relations, injecting new momentum into regional development and stability," he said.