KUALA LUMPUR - China and Malaysia have vowed to jointly promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, advance trade and investment facilitation and reject the unilateral trade restrictive measures including arbitrary tariff hikes that are inconsistent with the WTO rules.

The two countries made the announcement on Thursday in a joint statement released in the context of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Malaysia.

Both sides are committed to upholding the rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, said the statement.

The two countries will strengthen cooperation, advocate for WTO rules to evolve with the times, and defend the legitimate rights and interests of developing members, it said.

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Both sides agreed that no country can stay immune in the face of the turbulent and changing international landscape and the historical trend toward a shared future for the international community, it said, adding that win-win cooperation is the only right way forward.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter to practice true multilateralism, upholding the international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the statement said.

Both sides will work together to meet all kinds of challenges and contribute Asian strength to building an equal and orderly multipolar world, it noted.

The two countries will enhance coordination and cooperation under such frameworks as the UN, the WTO and the World Health Organization, jointly uphold international fairness and justice and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, the statement said.

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China welcomes Malaysia as a BRICS partner country and is willing to actively support Malaysia in better integrating into BRICS cooperation, it said.

Also, Malaysia welcomes China's application to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, it added.  

Building high-level strategic community

The two countries have also agreed to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future to accelerate their modernization efforts and jointly promote regional and global prosperity and stability.

In the statement, China and Malaysia vowed to strengthen strategic coordination, deepen synergy of development, tighten people-to-people bonds, maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, strengthen regional cooperation, and conduct multilateral cooperation.

Malaysia reiterated its firm commitment to the one-China policy, recognizing the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, Taiwan is an inalienable territory of the People's Republic of China, and in order for China to achieve national reunification, will not support any call for the independence of Taiwan.

The two sides agreed to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces and further synergize development strategies.

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Focusing on four key areas of digital economy, green economy, blue economy and tourism economy, the two sides pledged to expand future economic cooperation, promote integrated, coordinated and complementary development, achieve deep integration of industrial and supply chains, value chains, data chains and talent chains, so as to further improve the level and quality of China-Malaysia cooperation.

The two countries also agreed to jointly build a safe and stable industrial and supply chain and strengthen cooperation.

According to the statement, the Malaysian side welcomes Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of Malaysia's 5G network. Both sides look forward to exploring potential cooperation in the semiconductor industrial chain to the extent practicable to maintain the stability of the industrial and supply chains.

The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening rail transportation and infrastructure cooperation and contributing to the realization of the Pan-Asian Railway vision.

China said it welcomes Malaysia to continue promoting Malaysian products and expanding exports to China through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the Global Digital Trade Expo and the China-ASEAN Expo.

As a way to tighten people-to-people bonds between the two countries, the two sides agreed to continue to conduct joint research on panda protection and expect to achieve more progress in this field.

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In a bid to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, the two countries agreed to resolve disputes by peaceful means, through friendly consultations and negotiations, said the statement, noting that both sides recognized that the involvement of parties not directly concerned could be counter-productive. 

Supporting ASEAN

The two sides also reaffirmed to uphold ASEAN centrality and support the bloc in strengthening ASEAN-led mechanism in promoting an open and inclusive regional architecture that is peaceful, stable and conducive for regional development, growth and prosperity, said the statement.

They reiterated to jointly enhance the building of a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, so as to build a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future, it said.

Malaysia supports China in hosting APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting 2026 and supports Hong Kong's accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, it added.  

Opposing forced displacement of Gaza people

China and Malaysia oppose the forced displacement of the people of Gaza, calling for an independent state of Palestine based on the two-state solution.

The two sides stressed in the statement that Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and it is an inalienable part of the territory of Palestine.

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Both sides emphasized that "the Palestinians governing Palestine" is an important principle that must be upheld in the post-conflict governance of Gaza, and opposed the forced displacement of the people of Gaza, it said.

Both sides called for an independent state of Palestine based on the two-state solution and for Palestine's full UN membership.