How Xi champions stronger China-Malaysia bond

BEIJING -- As China and Malaysia celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year, Tan Lak Hon, along with 86 other Malaysian students at Tianjin University in China, wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing their commitment to serving as messengers and promoters of Chinese-Malaysian friendship, and aspiration to help build the China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

In a message sent later that year to Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar marking the historical occasion, Xi expressed his delight in hearing from those students. "I am gratified that the cause of friendship between the two countries will be carried forward," Xi said.

Greatly encouraged, Tan plans to create a social media account to share his study and travel experiences in China with friends back in Malaysia. "I will actively serve as an advocate for our friendship, and help foster meaningful communication between students from our two countries," he said.

Xi himself has been a staunch champion of stronger cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. He has repeatedly stressed that amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations.

During his 2013 visit to Malaysia, Xi witnessed the signing of an agreement on establishing a Malaysian branch of Xiamen University, the first overseas campus of a Chinese higher education institute. Xiamen, like Fuzhou, is a major city in China's Fujian province.

The university has a special relationship both with Malaysia and with Xi. It was founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee, a patriotic overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist, who was born in Xiamen and achieved great business success in Malaysia and Singapore. When Xi worked in Xiamen, he developed a profound bond with the university.

Today, the Malaysian branch of Xiamen University has 10 faculties and over 9,100 students from dozens of countries and regions. So far, more than 6,300 students have graduated from that campus, making it a shining example of China-Malaysia education cooperation and a key platform to boost mutual understanding between different civilizations.

Many of those graduates share Tan's determination to promote intercultural communication and people-to-people friendship, a theme that features prominently in Xi's approach to international relations.

"You name it. Which other leader articulates the vision for the future while trying to understand civilization, values and culture," Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim once noted. "That is why I feel certainly comfortable in exchanges with the president for his foresight and vision."