TOTAL trade volume between Malaysia and China reached a record high of US$108.6 billion (RM443 billion) in 2018, according to the Malaysia-China Business Council.

Council chairman Tan Kok Wai also said the number of Chinese visitors to Malaysia increased by 29% to 2.94 million last year, dismissing fears that the relationship between the countries has been threatened by Putrajaya’s deferment of several Chinese-backed mega projects.

“Today, under the circumstances of the ceaseless China-US trade war and the uncertainty of the global economic outlook, we must remain cautious yet optimistic and work diligently in a practical and realistic spirit,” Tan was quoted by The Star daily as saying at a luncheon.

He said last year’s total trade volume was a 683-fold increase compared with the US$1.59 billion recorded 45 years ago, at the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The luncheon was jointly organised by Malaysia-China Business Council, Bank Of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank Corp. – February 18, 2019.