Xi Jinping In Malaysia: PMX Gets Applause For Mandarin Attempt, Siti Nurhaliza Dazzles State Banquet Diners
A brief recap of president Xi Jinping’s three-day state visit to Malaysia.
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Today marks the last day Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Malaysia. He arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 15 April for a three-day state visit at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia. It’s Xi’s second official trip to Malaysia in 12 years; his last visit was in 2013.
If you’re curious about what has been going on during the state visit, here’s a wrap up of sorts:
1. Anwar shared a proverb in Chinese
“Today, at a time when multilateralism is under tremendous strain, when some nations abandon the principles of shared responsibility, and others question longstanding commitments, China’s global initiative offers a new lease of hope. They look outward, not inward. They speak not… pic.twitter.com/ckZdxujRSK
— BFM89.9 (@BFMradio) April 16, 2025
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is known for his language prowess and his penchant to learn to speak in other languages.
During the speeches, Anwar and Xi shared the importance of diplomatic and bilateral ties, including working together to “safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family.”
When Xi shared Malaysia’s proverb “sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit” in a speech, Anwar shared the proverb “when there’s a will, there’s a way” in Chinese.
After everyone clapped in response, Anwar jokingly thanked them for clapping because it showed that they understood what he said.
2. A simple menu to promote local flavours
Simple and nice 😋. Menu for 🇲🇾🇨🇳 state banquet 🍽️ https://t.co/7KSYVaTwVC pic.twitter.com/yYouy6KC1w
— Melissa Goh (@MelGohCNA) April 16, 2025
The royal banquet was held at the National Palace and the menu has became a focus of attention apart from the trade wars. CNA correspondent Melissa Goh shared a picture of the menu, showing how local flavours can be promoted despite the simplicity of the delicious offerings. Not everyone in the comments agrees, as usual, but it is what it is.
The menu featured satay, Yunnan mushrooms, otak-otak, soto ayam, nasi briyani with mutton, fried chicken, and more. Desserts include mango sorbet, Malay and Nyonya kuih-muih, and bubur pulut hitam with santan.
3. Siti Nurhaliza sang popular Chinese song
@yb.sim Malaysia 🇲🇾 🤝 China 🇨🇳 Mesmerising Song by @Siti Nurhaliza ♬ original sound – Sim Tze Tzin 沈志勤
Malaysian songstress Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza was present at the royal banquet and sang a song in Mandarin while being accompanied by a string ensemble.
Siti sang the popular Chinese song “The Moon Represents My Heart” (Yueliang Daibiao Wo de Xin), a song popularised by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng.
While Siti is a great singer, some believe another singer, Shila Amzah, should have been the one performing a song in Chinese.
Shila Amzah is huge in China, finishing third in China’s I Am a Singer competition. Her win catapulted her to popularity online, especially the microblogging site Weibo. Her Chinese fans know her as Xila.
4. Malaysia and China signed 31 MOUs
Hari ini ternyata detik bersejarah tatkala Presiden Xi Jinping dan saya telah menyaksikan sesi pertukaran Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) antara Kerajaan Malaysia dan Kerajaan Republik Rakyat China di pelbagai lapangan yang mempunyai kepentingan strategik kepada kedua-dua negara… pic.twitter.com/1OMj04zHmS
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) April 16, 2025
Anwar and Xi witnessed the exchange of 31 memorandum of understandings (MoU) covering various sectors of cooperation between the two countries at the Seri Perdana Complex on 16 April.
The MoUs also cover media cooperation between the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and China Media Group (CMG), the cooperation on the Global Security Initiative between both countries, and building joint laboratories in emerging technologies such as AI, among others.
5. Chinese journalists speaking in fluent Malay
A group of Chinese journalists surprised many people when they spoke Malay fluently after Husna Liang shared a video of her colleagues eating in a nasi kandar restaurant. They were here to cover Xi’s visit to Malaysia.
READ MORE: [Watch] Chinese Journalists Praised For Speaking In Fluent Malay While Eating Nasi Kandar
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