Anwar to meet with Chinese investors in Shanghai

SHANGHAI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim begins the third day of his working visit here with a dialogue session with Chinese investors organised by Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Among the investors are Chengwei Capital and NRL Capital, according to Sinar Harian.

Anwar is expected to meet several companies and hold a roundtable session with 23 industry leaders here before departing for Beijing on Wednesday (Nov 6) afternoon.

He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.

The Prime Minister’s working visit to China is at the invitation of his counterpart, Li Qiang, to attend the seventh China International Import Expo (7th CIIE) in Shanghai.

CIIE is China’s initiative to provide a platform for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to promote and export goods and services to the country.

Earlier, Malaysia’s Ambassador to China, Datuk Norman Muhamad, said the objective of the four-day working visit to China, which began on Nov 4, was to meet potential investors to boost the nation’s economy.

“This time, the focus is on the economy.

A packed schedule awaits the Prime Minister, including sessions with companies that have the potential to invest in Malaysia,” he said during a press conference on Monday (Nov 4) in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s visit to China.

China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner globally for 15 consecutive years since 2009.

In 2023, trade with China amounted to RM450.84bil (US$98.80bil), accounting for 17.1% of Malaysia’s global trade.

As of last September, the recorded trade volume was RM355.15bil (US$76.72bil).

In the first half of this year, 15 manufacturing projects were implemented, with investments totalling RM1.2bil (US$252.5mil).

This is Anwar’s third visit to China, following his inaugural visit to the country in March 2023 and another in September of the same year.

However, this is the Prime Minister’s first visit to Shanghai, and the working visit will conclude in Beijing on Thursday (Nov 7).