Sultan Ibrahim visits China in first trip as Malaysia’s king, marking 50 years of ties

Analyst says monarch’s first official overseas trip is likely to focus on implementing existing deals rather than announcing new projects

Reading Time:3 minutes

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and his family are the rulers of Johor, the southern Malaysian state just across from Singapore. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:29pm, 19 Sep 2024Updated: 8:39pm, 19 Sep 2024

Malaysia’s king has arrived in Beijing for a four-day trip to China – the first by the country’s monarch in a decade and his first overseas state visit since being crowned in July – as the two countries celebrate a half-century of bilateral ties.

Talks were expected to range from cooperation on high-speed rail to the implementation of a slew of deals signed earlier this year, though the two sides were unlikely to announce any new projects, an analyst said.

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar’s visit marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. A previous monarch, the late Sultan Abdul Halim, visited on the 40-year mark in 2014.

President Xi Jinping will hold a welcome ceremony and a banquet for Sultan Ibrahim, followed by talks between the two heads of state as well as a meeting with Premier Li Qiang, China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

“China stands ready to work with Malaysia to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen the synergy of development strategies and expand mutually beneficial cooperation through this visit,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Li visited Malaysia in June and, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the countries, which includes pursuing more opportunities through the Belt and Road Initiative.