Opinion | Six steps to forging stronger ties between the youth of China and Malaysia
- As the two countries mark 45 years of official relations, young people have the potential to bring the nations closer, writes Zhai Kun
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
In that time, both governments have fostered a close and seamless political and economic relationship, and have successfully upgraded bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Besides that, China and Malaysia have made great efforts to promote social and cultural development. When Malaysia started allowing its citizens to visit China in the early 1990s, both countries gradually cooperated in people-to-people exchanges.
Last year, nearly 2.9 million Chinese visited Malaysia, a greater number of visitors than from Singapore or Indonesia. At the same time, Malaysia was among the top 10 sources of tourists entering China.
There is great potential for further exchanges and cooperation, particularly among youth, but there are several reasons why there is still a gap in deeper understanding between two sides.
First, social and cultural exchanges between the two countries are mainly driven by government, resulting in a lack of vitality at the grass roots. When Malaysian civil society groups want to communicate with their Chinese counterparts, they often lack a mechanism to connect them.
