On November 15, 2021, Chinese Consul General in Penang Mr. Lu Shiwei attended the International Forum on the Belt and Road Initiative and launching ceremony of the Belt and Road Activity Center, and delivered a speech. The event was held both online and offline simultaneously. Mr. Mah Hang Soon, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Education, Professor Ewe Hong Tat, President and CEO of UTAR, and Professor Choong Chee Keong, Vice President of UTAR, etc. attended the event.

Consul General Lu Shiwei said in his speech that over the past eight years since the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the BRI has truly become the world’s broadest-based and largest platform for international cooperation. Facing the test of the pandemic, China and its BRI partners helped each other and overcame difficulties together. Despite the impact of the pandemic, solid progress has been made in BRI cooperation with new development and new outcomes, which have not come easily, making a significant contribution to the COVID-19 response, economic stability and people’s livelihood in relevant countries. The BRI is a path for global health cooperation against the pandemic to ensure the safety of people in all countries and achieve common health for mankind.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the past century, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people and forged ahead in pursuing a great struggle, and achieved great success in revolution, construction, and reform, creating miracles in the achievement of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. At present, China is accelerating the new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay, mutually reinforcing domestic and international circulations, which will enable the country to offer more market, investment, and growth opportunities to its BRI partners including Malaysia. It is expected that the two countries would continue to join hands and aim for further cooperation in the post-COVID-19 era, accelerate high-quality development of Belt and Road cooperation, and promote China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

Mr. Mah Hang Soon said that the BRI is developing rapidly. Currently, The Belt and Road Initiative includes 1/3 of world GDP and over 2/3 of the world’s population. The prospects for bilateral cooperation between China and Malaysia are broad, and are no longer confined to the economic field. The potential for cooperation between the two sides in digital economy, high-tech, etc. can be tapped deeper.

Professor Ewe Hong Tat said that since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the BRI in 2013, Malaysia has actively responded to and participated in the cooperation, and bilateral cooperation between China and Malaysia has been continuously deepened.

During the event, Consul General Lu Shiwei and Mr. Mah Hang Soon, accompanied by Professor Ewe Hong Tat and others, visited the Belt and Road Activity Center and the construction site of the Chinese Medicine Cultural Centre affiliated with UTAR.