Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the media cooperation between his country and China in a recent interview jointly carried out by China Media Group (CMG) and Malaysia's All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator (Astro).
Anwar was interviewed by reporters from the two media outlets ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Malaysia from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Ahead of the interview, the reporters shared their experiences with the prime minister over witnessing an ever intensifying cooperation between the two countries' media outlets over the past few years.
"The cooperation between CMG and Astro is one of symbols of the China-Malaysia friendship. We have cooperated for four years," said Luqman Hariz, Astro AWANI anchor and journalist.
"Every week, we would have discussions on issues of common concern with Malaysian experts from various fields. Last year we invited Astro AWANI colleagues to report the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. And this time, it's a great honor for us to interview you, Mr. Prime Minister, at the office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, together with our Malaysian colleagues," said Zhang Hong, a CMG reporter.
Calling the CMG-Astro cooperation a good start, Anwar said China is a good friend of Malaysia, and hoped for friendship with all countries.
"I think this is a good start. In fact, there are also noises within Malaysia that aim to sow discord between Malaysia and China, which I really don't understand. For Malaysia, we should be on good terms with all countries. Of course, we focus on and give priority to ASEAN and Asian countries. We think that China is a good friend to Malaysia. As Malaysia and China join hands and move forward together, more opportunities for bilateral economic and trade cooperation will be created," he said.
Malaysian PM gives thumb-up on China-Malaysia media cooperation
