AN old Chinese proverb goes: “One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade”.

This well-known phrase describes the efforts by Malaysian leaders, especially Prime Minister Najib Razak, to deepen bilateral relations with the economic powerhouse China.

For the modern-post relationship, it started with a diplomatic letter sent by Najib’s father, the second prime minister Abdul Razak, to the then-Chinese prime minister Zhou En Lai in 1971, before having the diplomatic bilateral ties formally established in 1974, to the “panda diplomacy” – where Fu Wa and Feng Yi were sent as a symbol of peace to mark the 40-year anniversary of the diplomatic ties.

Now, the spotlight has been directed at Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who initiated the Malaysian Durian Festival in Nanning, Guangxi Province, as a move to strengthen “Durian Diplomacy”.

For the 59-year-old minister, the three-day festival was more than bringing the best durian in Malaysia (Musang King), as well as other Malaysian-based products, such as bird’s nest, pineapple and jackfruit.

It was a multi-throng move to penetrate the lucrative Chinese market.

The festival, which was mooted by Ahmad Shabery during his meeting with the vice-governor of Guangxi Province last November, was a success as people queued for hours just to have a taste of Musang King.

Ahmad Shabery said the issue of getting approval from the Chinese Government to bring in fresh durian, rather than frozen pulp and paste, as well as other Malaysian-based products including highly-valued bird’s nest, jackfruit and pineapple was no longer a concern because the people had been responding well due to a successful turnout during the festival. 

During the three-day festival, a total of seven memoranda of understanding (Mou) were signed between the Chinese and Malaysian co-operatives and companies, where most of the objectives were meant to promote agriculture, economic and trade development, as well as to further explore business collaboration for value-enhancement.

The next stage, according to the Kemaman member of parliament, is to prepare local farmers and entrepreneurs under Malaysia’s National Farmers Associations, Malaysia’s Farmers Organisation Authority, and other related bodies to face the high demands as well as to meet the RM12 billion target by 2020.

As of July this year, the total trade value between the two countries reached RM4.66 billion, and Malaysia remained as Asean biggest trading partner in China for the eighth consecutive year. – Bernama, November 6, 2017.