theSun | MONDAY JUNE 1 2009
news without borders
How a letter led
to Malaysia-China
diplomatic ties
KUALA LUMPUR: Not many
people know that it was a letter
which started the ball rolling
35 years ago for the establish-
ment of Malaysia-China diplo-
matic relations, now poised for
further progress with the visit
of Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak to Beijing
tomorrow.
And the “ping pong di-
plomacy” – which led to the
restoration of ties between
China and the United States in
1971 – was played out, albeit
on a much smaller scale, in the
forging of links between Kuala
Lumpur and Beijing.
The late Tun Abdul Razak
Hussein, Malaysia’s second
prime minister and Najib’s
father, had written a letter to
Zhou Enlai, the then prime
minister of China, in 1971.
The letter was sent through
Tan Sri Michael Chen, at that
time the secretary-general of
the Alliance Party, predecessor
of the Barisan Nasional (BN),
when a Malaysian teamtook
part in a table tennis tourna-
ment in China in September
1971.
“I gave Zhou Enlai the letter
written by Tun Abdul Razak in
his capacity as the president
of the OCM (Olympic Council
Of Malaysia),” Chen told Ber-
nama.
After reading the letter,
Zhou instructed China’s
minister of foreign affairs to
meet Chen. Their meeting, of
45 minutes’ duration at the
minister’s office, paved the
way for serious thinking on the
establishment of diplomatic
relations between the two
countries.
Three years later, Abdul
Razak made a historic visit to
China and both Malaysia and
China established diplomatic
ties on May 31, 1974, thus
opening a new chapter in
bilateral relations.
Malaysia became the first
member country of Asean to
establish diplomatic relations
with China.
“Tun Abdul Razak’s visit
stands out as perhaps the bold-
est initiative that Malaysia
has ever taken in its eventful
external policy,” said Datuk Mo-
hamed Jawhar Hassan, chair-
man and CEO of the Institute
of Strategic and International
Studies (ISIS), Malaysia.
“It was also among the most
visionary, given the enormous
benefits that continue to ac-
crue not only for Malaysia but
also to Asean, China and the
wider region,” he wrote in an
article published in a newspa-
per here on Thursday.
He said that at a time when
the Cold War was raging in
the region, the estrangement
between communist China
and non-communist Asean
was complete and the Chinese
Communist Party was sup-
porting the Communist Party
of Malaya (CPM), Malaysia’s
second prime minister defied
conventional wisdom to ink a
joint communique establish-
ing diplomatic relations with
China.
The other Asean countries
soon followed Malaysia’s ex-
ample to have ties with China,
with the Philippines and Thai-
land in July 1975, Singapore in
1990, and Brunei in 1991. In-
donesia, which had suspended
diplomatic relations with China
in October 1967, restored them
in July 1990.
Mohamed Jawhar said Ra-
zak’s inspired action pioneered
the bridging of the Cold War
divide between Asean and China
and set the scene for the blos-
soming of mutually productive
relations between the largest
power in the region and the
countries of Southeast Asia.
Malaysia-China Friendship
Association secretary Tan Kai
Hee said China placed great
emphasis on the personal
touch and personal relation-
ship and really appreciated the
boldness of Razak in establish-
ing diplomatic relations with
China.
“China very much appreci-
ated what Tun Razak had done
in establishing diplomatic
relations with China when the
country was isolated by the
world at that time,” he said.
“That’s why every new
Chinese ambassador posted
to Malaysia will invite (Razak’s
widow) Tun Rahah (Mohd Noah)
as a special guest to attend a
dinner.”
Tan said China had invited
Rahah to visit China together
with Najib and was making
plans for Najib and his mother
to visit the Great Wall of China,
enabling her to reminisce the
trip she had made with her
husband 35 years ago.
Relations between Malay-
sia and China have seen an
upward trend in the last 35
years in all areas.
Top leaders of both coun-
tries have taken part in a
constant exchange of visits.
Chinese leaders who have
visited Malaysia included Deng
Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng,
Zhu Rongji and Hu Jintao.
From the 1990s, Sino-Ma-
laysia relations reached new
levels of development with the
close cooperation and contact
extended to other areas such
as trade, tourism, education,
culture, science and health.
In 2000, the Bank of
China set up a branch in Kuala
Lumpur and, two years later,
the People’s Bank of China and
Bank Negara Malaysia signed
a bilateral currency exchange
agreement.
On the international front,
Malaysia and China shared
similar views on many issues
such as on Iraq and Palestine,
terrorism, globalisation and
regional security.
The Chinese economy has
effectively become the engine
of growth for the region. China
is now Malaysia’s fourth larg-
est trading partner, with total
trade expanding rapidly from
RM53 billion in 2003 to RM130
billion last year.
To further improve Malay-
sia-China relations, MCA presi-
dent Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat
was tasked with an important
mission early this year – to lay
the groundwork for Najib’s of-
ficial visit to China.
His delegation compro-
mised top industry captains
and some prominent business-
men, including Tan Sri Syed
Mokhtar Al-Bukhary and Tun
Daim Zainuddin.
With Najib’s visit to Beijing,
there will be plenty of op-
portunities the bilateral rela-
tions to be further enhanced.
– Bernama
3
Govt may review guidelines
on demolishing buildings
KUALA LUMPUR: The government proposes to
review the guidelines on demolishing buildings to
ensure that they are clearer and observed by all the
parties concerned.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
said yesterday the improvements would depend on
the report from the Housing and Local Government
Ministry and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) on
the cause of the collapse of the Jaya Supermarket
building in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, on Thursday,
which killed seven workers.
“I’m waiting for the full report from (minister)
Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha and the local authority to
determine whether or not the current regulations
are adequate,” Bernama quoted Muhyiddin as saying
after sending off Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak to South Korea at the RMAF base in
Subang, near here.
He said if the guidelines were not adequate the
ministry could submit proposals for improvement to
the cabinet to come up with clearer guidelines.
The MBPJ has denied allegations that the col-
lapse of the building was partly because of its failure
to monitor the demolition works and the failure to
observe the safety aspects and guidelines.
In Ipoh, Kong said a report on the collapse of the
building would be presented at the cabinet meeting
this week.
A decision on whether to form a committee to
investigate the incident would be made after the
cabinet had studied a report on the search and rescue
operation by the Fire & Rescue Department.
“Firemen are still monitoring the site before it is
taken over by the Petaling Jaya City Council, De-
partment of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH)
and the Construction Industry Development Board
(CIDB),” he said after launching a road safety cam-
paign for students.
Charles Ramendran reports that 12 families
living in houses next to the collapsed building have
evacuated.
Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Arjunaidi Mohamed,
who had led the search and rescue operations for the
trapper workers, said the 12 families living on Jalan
14/15 had been advised to more out after authorities
found the remaining portion of the building to be un-
A resident prepares to evacuate his house. stable. He said one family decided against moving.
Govt looks for best way to protect rural poor
PUTRAJAYA: The removal of subsidies of transport costs for all items?’ Mohd Zain acknowledged the setbacks
sugar, flour and bread will hit the poor the “And so that is what we are doing. For of a coupon system which could be open
hardest and the government is having a example, recently there were 102 consumer to abuse by those charged with dispensing
headache to minimise the effect on them. products, consisting both subsidised and them to the poor.
In protecting the rural poor, Domestic non-subsidised goods, transported by lorry “It may not be a perfect system but the
Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry from Sandakan to Kinabatangan.” government will find the best formula to
secretary-general Datuk Mohd Zain Mohd He said the transport cost subsidy en- work this out some way or other for the
Dom said, a current method is subsidising sures that goods in rural areas are sold at poor sector of the population,” he said.
transport cost for delivering subsidised the same prices as in the cities. He said the subsidies for the three
goods to rural areas. The other methods include direct deliv- items may be extended for the poor based
“But the minister (Datuk Seri Ismail ery to the rural community and a voucher on the database provided by the Women,
Sabri Yaakob) said, ‘why limit it to only the system where consumers pay first and then Family and Community Development
subsidised items, why not subsidise the claim the money with the vouchers. Ministry.
Removal of subsidies may see different grades of goods
» From Front Page which the government agreed. ers from May to December last unscrupulous people who sell
Mohd Zain said the removal year. these items to the Thais at higher
At RM1.45 for sugar, Mohd of subsidies may see different “People have to realise that prices,” he said.
Zain said, there is a loss of 60 sen grades of goods being introduced government has spent a lot. We “Consumers will have to
for every kilogram produced. in the market. (the government) cannot control accept and probably pay more
“If the retail price is RM2.05, “If you want better quality everything, but consumers have but they must make proper judg-
they have taken into account the sugar you pay more but for those the power to control, they have ments or let the market dictate
production and profit margin. who cannot afford that, there will to decide what they really want,” the prices.”
Their profit can go up to 10% to be other grades they may choose he said. Mohd Zain also said the bread
15%,” he said. from,” he said. “Once the government industry has been complacent
The government subsidy for “They would not mind as long subsidises goods, the industries and it is time to change their
sugar this year is RM345 million. as their coffee is sweet.” become complacent and con- business model.
An additional RM375 million was Mohd Zain said the high world sumers become pampered and “Even as we are subsidising
allocated in the second stimulus wheat prices prolonging since this subsequently distorts the you have to rethink whether you
package. the end of 2007 had caused flour economy.” want to continue with the current
The subsidy for flour is RM210 millers and bread manufacturers He said the subsidies were method when the competition is
million, and bread RM89 million. to operate at net losses. These not helping the people as much so high,” he said.
On the monopoly of sugar industries requested for ceiling as they were meant to with He said it was time for a
refineries by just two players, he price revisions. foreigners also enjoying the competitive policy that would
said the long-term subsidy for To maintain the ceiling prices, cheaper prices. protect consumers and the
sugar ended last year but the RM250 million was given to 11 “People from Thailand come Competition Act to be tabled at
industry asked the government flour manufacturers and RM74.4 down to buy these items and the end of the year would help
to continue with the subsidies, million to 18 bread manufactur- at the same time there are to advance this.