M'sia-China in best relationship ever, says special envoy

CORONAVIRUS | A temporary travel and visa ban to and from Wuhan has not affected ties between Malaysia and China, said special envoy to China Tan Kok Wai.  

Tan, who is also chairperson of the Malaysia-China Business Council, told the Malay Mail Online that the government of China has imposed a lockdown and banned its citizens from leaving Wuhan.

"I don’t think (there’s any problem in the relationship) because even their citizens from many townships in Hubei, especially Wuhan, are in lock-down.

“Malaysia and China are in the best relationship ever, an all-time high,” he said at the Selangor King George V Old Folks’ Home Jubilee Fund Chinese New Year celebration in Seremban, Negri Sembilan, today.

He also said that he hoped the visa suspension would be temporary and called on the international community to be supportive in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak which has taken the lives of 106 people, according to Beijing.

"This is a challenging time for China and I hope the global community will work together to help China overcome this epidemic," said Tan.

The total trade volume between Malaysia and China reached US$1.24 trillion (RM5.052 trillion) last year, a new record.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia last year topped three million and the two countries recently announced a tourism tie-up for this year.

“There should have been a Chinese tourism boom in Malaysia but because of the outbreak, it has affected tourism sectors and operators," added Tan.