KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor hoped  Sabah's relations with China will be nurtured and strengthened for many years to come. 

"Malaysia’s 50 years of diplomatic relations with China is a testament to the boundless  power of friendship and cooperation and Sabah is honoured to be a part of this journey,"  he said at the reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic  ties between Malaysia and China at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC). 

The reception was graced by Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and his wife Toh Puan  Hajah Norlidah Tan Sri R.M. Jasni. 

The Chief Minister said in 2023, Sabah and China have made fruitful achievements and  cooperation in many sectors.  

"Sabah has held friendly exchanges with several provinces and cities in China and there  is good progress from these exchanges. Sabah continues to be a sought-after  destination for Chinese visitors.  

"Our tourism figures recorded a total of 776,845 visitors to Sabah from January to March  this year. 321,184 were international visitors and of this figure, Chinese visitors made up  the bulk of arrivals at 116,922.  

"This is indeed a positive sign and we are happy to welcome more China visitors  especially those seeking to do business with us," he said. 

Hajiji said over the past years Malaysia and China have been experiencing remarkable  progress in exchanges and cooperation in various fields cemented by the meeting  between Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and China President Xi  Jinping.  

"Both have pledged consensus on building stronger Malaysia-China ties with a shared  future to usher in a new era for enhanced bilateral relations.  

"This bodes well for not only better Malaysia-China relations but that  of Sabah and China relations as well, and certainly this has the potential to  promote further cooperation," he said.

Hajiji also commended Chinese Consul General Dr Huang Shi Fang and her  predecessors as well as many other Sabah individuals and organisations who have all  played a role in ensuring that ties between the two countries continue to flourish.  

"There is much we could do to strengthen and align our development strategies with  China, combining the realisation of Chinese modernisation with our Malaysia Madani  and Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya aspirations," he said. 

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