In the afternoon of January 23, Chinese Consul General in Penang Mr. Zhou Youbin and his wife, Mdm. Li Jia attended the 2023 Penang Chief Minister’s Chinese New Year Open House. More than 1000 people attended the event, including Malaysian Prime Minister Mr. Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Mdm. Wan Azizah, Governor of the State of Penang Mr. Ahmad Fuzi bin Haji Abdul Razak and his wife, Mdm. Khadijah Mohd Nor, Penang Chief Minister Mr. Chow Kon Yeow and his wife, Mdm. Tan Lean Kee, Speaker of the Penang State Legislative Assembly Mr. Law Choo Kiang, Deputy Chief Minister of Penang I Mr. Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman, Deputy Chief Minister of Penang II Mr. Ramasamy Palanisamy, senior leaders of Malaysian central and local governments, members of the Parliament and State Legislative Assembly, leaders from political parties, Chinese nationals and overseas Chinese in Penang, and representatives from all walks of life. Consul General Mr. Zhou Youbin exchanged New Year greetings with other guests and share the visions for the new year.

    During the event, Consul General Mr. Zhou Youbin had a cordial conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, and exchanged New Year greetings with him. Consul General Mr. Zhou Youbin said that China and Malaysia are good neighbors and good partners facing each other across the sea, and enjoy a long history of traditional friendship. Since taking office, Prime Minister Mr. Anwar Ibrahim has attached great importance to developing relations with China, and has repeatedly emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and enhance the friendship between the two peoples. It is anticipated that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Malaysia practical cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, people-to-people exchanges, culture, education, and local exchanges will continue to achieve new results, and bilateral relations between the two countries will be pushed to scale new heights. Prime Minister Mr. Anwar Ibrahim agreed with Consul General Mr. Zhou Youbin’s remarks on China-Malaysia relations, and said that Malaysia is willing to work with China to achieve further progress in China-Malaysia relations to make sure the friendship between China and Malaysia lasts forever. 

    After the event, local Chinese-language media highlighted the interaction between Consul General Mr. Zhou Youbin and Prime Minister Mr. Anwar Ibrahim by reporting the news on the front page of Kwong Wah Yit Poh, with eye-catching title “Chinese Consul General Mr. Zhou Youbin met with Prime Minister Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, Thumbs Up for Each Other, Malaysia-China Friendship Lasts Forever”, which arrooused widespread discussion and was highly complimented by people from all walks of life in the consular district.