(January 31, 2022)

Dear readers:

The auspicious new Year of the Tiger brings along new prospects to the great land. On this happy occasion of ringing out the old year and ringing in the new, and celebrating the joyful family reunion, on behalf of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Penang and my colleagues, I would like to express our sincerest festive greetings and most heartfelt New Year blessings to all of you and overseas Chinese and Chinese nationals living in the consular district, and to friends from all walks of life who keep extending concern and support to the development of China-Malaysia friendship and local cooperation between the two countries.

It is a great pleasure to examine the achievements and gains of the past year and share the prospects and wishes for the new year with readers and friends through Kwong Wah Yit Poh. 

The year 2021 is a year of milestone significance for China. We grandly celebrated the centennial of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and successfully convened the sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC. We have realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and is embarking on a new journey towards the second centenary goal of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects. We responded with composure to the profound changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, maintained a global leading position in both economic development and the prevention and control of the epidemic, made new advances in fostering a new development paradigm and pursuing high-quality development, and got off to a good start in implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan. 

First, China’s economic strength has increased substantially. In 2021, China’s GDP grew by 8.1 percent year-on-year, with a total economic volume of 114.4 trillion yuan RMB, exceeding 110 trillion yuan RMB. Converted according to the annual average exchange rate, it reaches 17.7 trillion U.S. dollars, ranking second in the world, and accounting for more than 18% of the global economy. The per capita GDP was 80,976 yuan RMB, or $12,551 at the average annual exchange rate, passing the 12,000 U.S. dollars mark. At the end of 2021, China’s foreign exchange reserves stood at 3.2502 trillion U.S. dollars, the largest in the world. 

Second, China further expanded its opening-up. China’s total goods imports and exports expanded 21.4 percent year-on-year to 39.1 trillion yuan RMB in 2021, scoring a two-year average growth of 11.3 percent. Counted by U.S. dollars, the trade volume was 6.05 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for a larger proportion in the global market. The actual utilized foreign capital was 1.1494 trillion yuan RMB, setting a record high, up by 14.9 percent. 

Third, China’s global influence continued to grow. In 2021, China’s economic growth was expected to contribute to some 25 percent of global economic growth, injecting confidence and impetus into the recovery of the world economy. China has successfully controlled the spread of COVID-19 on the mainland, and at the same time pursues the vision of a community of shared future for mankind to lead international anti-epidemic cooperation. As of the end of 2021, China has provided about 372 billion masks, over 4.2 billion protective suits, and over 8.4 billion testing kits to the international community, and more than 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and international organizations, being the biggest COVID-19 vaccine provider in the world.

The year 2021 is a year where the bilateral friendly cooperation between China and Malaysia has grown in depth and substance. Facing the profound and complex changes in the international situation, especially the unprecedented challenges unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two peoples of China and Malaysia have supported and helped each other,  demonstrating the feature of “adversity reveals true friendship”. Malaysia is the first country to sign an inter-governmental cooperation agreement on COVID-19 vaccine with China and reach reciprocal arrangements for vaccination. Despite the severe impact of the pandemic on the global economy, China-Malaysia economic and trade cooperation has kept growing and continues to maintain a strong momentum. According to the statistics of the General Administration of Customs of China, in 2021, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia reached 176.8 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 34.5 percent. China’s exports to Malaysia recorded 78.74 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 39.9 percent. China’s import from Malaysia expanded 30.4 percent year-on-year to 98.06 billion U.S. dollars. The “new normal” has also brought new areas of cooperation between the two countries. The role of emerging industries such as e-commerce, internet economy and digital economy in boosting consumption and investment has become more prominent, strengthening the resilience and potential of cooperation between the two countries. 

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped the sound momentum of the cooperation and exchanges between China and the four states of the consular district. We have overcome the impact of the pandemic to remain the pace of bilateral exchanges in various fields unstoppable. The bilateral exchanges in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education, youth, etc., have shown a stronger momentum and the enthusiasm of the two sides is still high. We organized exchange activities in flexible and diverse ways such as meetings on “cloud”, online seminars, TikTok Video Competition, China-based universities’ online info sessions, etc., opening up new areas and platforms for local exchanges. Furthermore, the influences of some flagship events organized by the Chinese Consulate General, such as “My love, my connection between China and Malaysia” Theme Essay Competition and the “Scholarship and Bursary Program 2021 by the Chinese Consulate General in Penang”, have gradually grown. These achievements are inseparable from the unremitting efforts and hard work of friendly people from various circles of life of the two countries. 

Looking back on the past year, we have a strong sense of pride. And now, we can look forward to a bright future. 

The Year of the Tiger has arrived. Tiger is considered the king of all beasts since ancient times, and has always been the symbol of vitality and strength in traditional Chinese culture. We bid farewell to the Year of the Ox that was full of stability and hard work, and embrace the Year of the Tiger that shall be full of vigor and prosperity! The year 2022 is a crucial year as the Chinese people are marching toward the second centenary goal of the country. The Communist Party of China (CPC) will convene the 20th National Congress of CPC. We will spare no effort to present a great Olympic Games to the world, stay committed to helping the global fight against COVID-19 pandemic, and promote global development. Facing the post-pandemic era, China is willing to join hands with Malaysia to fight the pandemic, seek common development, conduct high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and add new impetus to the development of China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership. The Chinese Consulate General in Penang is willing to join hands with friends of all sectors of society in the consular district to upgrade the friendly cooperation at national and local levels between China and Malaysia to a new stage. Here, I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone Happy Chinese New Year, family happiness, and soar like a tiger in a prosperous and thriving new year!