Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region Sam Hou-fai said on Thursday that Macao will push practical cooperation with Malaysia to a higher level and expects to serve as a solid bridge for deepening cooperation between Malaysia and the Chinese mainland.

Sam made the remarks at a reception in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, hosted by the Macao SAR government.

He said China and Malaysia are close neighbors with a time-honored friendship. In April 2025, the two countries jointly announced the building of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, ushering in a new "golden 50 years" in bilateral relations and bringing new opportunities for Macao to deepen cooperation with Malaysia.

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Sam noted that Macao and Malaysia are both important nodes along the Maritime Silk Road and have achieved fruitful cooperation in economy, trade and investment, tourism, conventions and exhibitions, and cultural and educational exchanges. Macao began implementing its Third Five-Year Plan in August this year, while Malaysia released its 13th Malaysia Plan last year.

He said the two sides can strengthen the alignment of their macro development plans and deepen practical cooperation in tourism and conventions, the digital economy, traditional Chinese medicine, green energy and cross-border e-commerce.

In his address, Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Tiong King Sing said Malaysia is strategically located in ASEAN, while Macao is situated in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The two sides can better connect their respective networks so that enterprises can see broader development opportunities between ASEAN and the Greater Bay Area.

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Malaysia is willing to cooperate with Macao in areas such as economy, trade, tourism and education, and push for concrete results, he said.

During the reception, the two sides signed cooperation agreements covering trade and investment, tourism promotion, the cultural and tourism industry, higher education, halal certification, and the training of traditional Chinese medicine professionals.

Also on Thursday, the Macao Economic, Trade and Tourism Investment Promotion Seminar was held in Kuala Lumpur, where 54 cooperation projects were signed.