On 4 October 2013, during his state visit to Malaysia, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan attended a welcome luncheon hosted by overseas Chinese in Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
In his speech, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi Jinping paid high respect to overseas Chinese in Malaysia. Xi Jinping said that Malaysia is one of the countries with the largest population of overseas Chinese. For hundreds of years, generations of Chinese people traveled across the sea to settle in this land, to get established through hard work, and to grow and develop, making significant contributions to the economic prosperity, social development and harmony, as well as ethnic harmony of Malaysia.
Xi Jinping pointed out that overseas Chinese in Malaysia witnessed and promoted the friendship and cooperation between China and Malaysia. They came to China for investment and promotion of business, donated money for education and promoted cultural exchanges between the two sides, serving as a bridge for the development of bilateral relations. Without the efforts of overseas Chinese in Malaysia, there can be no today's good situation of China-Malaysia relations.
Xi Jinping said that China and Malaysia are neighbors, sincere friends and partners of mutually beneficial cooperation, facing each other across the sea. Prime Minister Najib Razak and I have made a unanimous decision to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and reached broad consensus on deepening a wide range of pragmatic cooperation, expanding prospects for the development of bilateral ties and the friendship between the people on both sides.
Xi Jinping introduced China's reform and opening up and future development plan, stressing that the Chinese people are striving for the Chinese dream of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China's development will first benefit its neighbors and then the world at large. We hope friends of overseas Chinese and Chinese Malaysians to seize opportunities and continue to make use of their advantages to promote cooperation between China and Malaysia, achieving greater growth of their own business so as to contribute more to the common development of China and Malaysia and to the grand cause of the friendship between the two countries.
Ong Ka Ting, Malaysian Prime Minister's Special Envoy to China, addressed the luncheon. He extended warm welcome on behalf of overseas Chinese and Chinese Malaysians to President Xi Jinping and Mme. Peng Liyuan and expressed heartfelt thanks to them for taking time off their busy schedule to meet the overseas Chinese from all walks of life in Malaysia. He said that President Xi Jinping's visit marks a new breakthrough in China-Malaysia relations. Overseas Chinese in Malaysia are concerned with and support China's development. They firmly believe that a stronger China will contribute to stability and prosperity of Asia and the world in the long run. Overseas Chinese in Malaysia will continue to serve as the bridge to carry forward and promote the friendly cooperation between China and Malaysia.
Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi, and others were present.