Beijing, October 19th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Secretary-General of Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Minister of Transport of Malaysia.

Liu welcomed Anthony Loke Siew Fook to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China. He expressed that General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his keynote speech at the forum, reviewed the fruitful achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative over the past ten years, summarized the valuable experiences of the Belt and Road cooperation, and put forward eight major steps China will take to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Southeast Asian countries play a crucial role as participants and promoters of the Belt and Road Initiative. Projects like the Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link, the China-Laos Railway, and the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway are the iconic projects of the Belt and Road cooperation and have significantly contributed to the development of Southeast Asian nations, bringing about positive changes in people's lives. The Chinese side is willing to work with Southeast Asian countries to uphold the spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative, continue to implement the eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and ensure that the Belt and Road Initiative brings greater benefits to Southeast Asian countries and their people.

Liu said, in this March, President Xi Jinping and visiting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reached important consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, drawing a grand blueprint for the development of China-Malaysia relations in the new era. We should jointly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, further deepen strategic alignment, and strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, information communication, and the Belt and Road cooperation. The CPC is willing to enhance high-level exchanges with the DAP and other Malaysian political parties to facilitate even greater progress in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia.

Anthony Loke Siew Fook congratulated on the success of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. He said, General Secretary Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the forum's opening ceremony, especially his announcement of the eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, draws a new picture for development of the Belt and Road Initiative and is very inspiring. Over the past ten years, the Belt and Road Initiative has significantly promoted cooperation between the two governments and non-governmental exchanges between Malaysia and China. Many projects under the Belt and Road Initiative have made substantial progress. The Malaysian side is willing to work closely with the Chinese side to promote an early completion of projects such as the East Coast Rail Link. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. The Malaysian side is willing to take this opportunity to give full play to the role of political parties and non-governmental forces to promote exchanges and mutual understanding at all levels, so as to push for greater development of bilateral relations.

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