Cooperation with China vital for telecom, digital development: Malaysian official

Exhibitors take part in the China Smart Industry Trade and Culture Exhibition 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, May 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China is vital for Malaysia's telecommunications and digital development goals, a Malaysian official said on Monday.

The two nations will be able to mutually benefit by collaborating on the basis of their complementary strengths, opening up new opportunities for economic development, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching said in her speech at the China Smart Industry Trade and Culture Exhibition 2024 here.

"Our two countries share a long history of cooperation in technology, and this exhibition provides a valuable opportunity to further strengthen our ties," she said.

She also stressed that the Malaysian government prioritizes the training of young people on artificial intelligence to ensure the country remains competitive in this field.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing noted that science, technology and innovation (STI) can give birth to new industries, new business models and new kinetic energy, and is the core element of developing new quality productive forces.

"More than ever, human society needs international cooperation, openness and sharing and it needs STI cooperation to explore solutions to global issues, address the challenges of the times together, and jointly promote peaceful development," he said.

"Therefore China has proposed an international science and technology cooperation initiative to promote open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory international science and technology cooperation and jointly build a global science and technology community," he added.

According to Keith Li, president of China Entrepreneurs Association in Malaysia, the exhibition brings together nearly 100 companies and organizations from China, Malaysia and Singapore, covering fields such as big data, cloud computing, telecommunications and education, among others.