SHANGHAI, Sept 22 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived here on Tuesday for a three-day working visit to Shanghai and Hangzhou, China, aimed at strengthening Malaysia-China ties, boosting trade and expanding cooperation in emerging technologies.

The aircraft carrying Anwar and his delegation landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 5.10pm local time (5.10pm Malaysian time).

He was welcomed by Malaysian Ambassador to China Datuk Norman Muhamad and Consul General of Malaysia in Shanghai Abdullah Ma’amor Ibrahim.

Also present were Shanghai Vice-Mayor of Shanghai Wang Huajie, China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing, and Su Lin, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office.

The visit, at the invitation of the Chinese government, is Anwar’s fourth visit to China since he became the prime minister in 2022.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, is accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. 

The highlight of the visit will be Anwar’s high-level meeting with the Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province, on Thursday. 

In Shanghai, the prime minister is scheduled to attend the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC), where he will deliver a keynote address at the plenary session of the WorldSkills Conference 2026 on Wednesday. 

He will also attend the Fifth Global Digital Trade Expo in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where Malaysia and Hungary are participating as Guest Countries of Honour.

The prime minister is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the expo, one of China’s major digital economy platforms, which will highlight artificial intelligence (AI) and global cooperation

During the visit, Anwar is also expected to engage Chinese industry leaders in a roundtable session and one-on-one meetings with key industry and tech giants to drive foreign direct investment into Malaysia. 

China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, with total bilateral trade reaching USD113.82 billion (RM456.68 billion) between January and August this year. — Bernama