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The upgrading of bilateral relations to strategic partnership and commitments to cooperation in many fields shows that Malaysia-Korea relations have made new progress.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol holds talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Seoul, November 25. (Source: Reuters)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to upgrade bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during Anwar Ibrahim's visit to the land of kimchi from November 24-26.

This is Mr. Anwar Ibrahim's first official visit to the Northeast Asian country since taking office as Prime Minister in November 2022. According to the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the visit aims to "further strengthen the bilateral relationship which has grown tremendously over the years, towards the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2025 and promote investment attraction from Korea".

According to Malaysian news agency Bernama , the highlight of the three-day visit was the talks between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and President Yoon Suk Yeol. The two sides discussed regional and international hot issues, shared views on Malaysia's role as ASEAN Chair and South Korea's role as Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Chair in 2025, and cooperation in the field of national security and defense.

The two leaders pledged to conclude negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement by 2025 to increase cooperation in services, investment and emerging industries such as biotechnology and green energy, digital technology, artificial intelligence, Halal products and services... The two leaders witnessed the signing of three Memorandums of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of higher education and climate change.

During the visit, Prime Minister Anwar also attended the Malaysia-Korea Business Forum with the participation of 147 large Korean companies and corporations, including Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SIMMTECH, Poongsan Corporation, Lotte Energy Materials, Kumho Petrochemical, etc.

According to Bernama data, by the end of September 2024, trade between the two countries reached nearly 18 billion USD. Last year, South Korea was Malaysia's eighth largest trading partner with a trade value of nearly 24.5 billion USD. Meanwhile, Malaysia is South Korea's third largest trading partner among ASEAN member countries and 12th largest globally.

Speaking to reporters, President Yoon Suk Yeol said: “I hope that in addition to trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges, bilateral cooperation will expand to defense, the arms industry and emerging areas such as green hydrogen and critical minerals.” Mr. Anwar Ibrahim said that Malaysia identified cooperation in the defense industry as “a symbol of mutual trust” and agreed to promote cooperation in research and development of defense technology.

Previously, in May 2023, Korea Aerospace Industries signed an agreement to supply 18 FA-50 jets to Malaysia and is now inviting the Southeast Asian country to buy the light attack jet.

On international and regional issues, the two leaders expressed concerns over military cooperation between Russia and North Korea as well as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The Malaysian Prime Minister expressed support for the South Korean President's vision of a stable and unified Korean Peninsula and welcomed Seoul's peace efforts in the region.

The upgrading of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, which was planned during the government of the previous Moon Jae-in, and the commitments to cooperation in many fields show that the relationship between Seoul and Kuala Lumpur has taken a new step forward, becoming closer in the context of unpredictable fluctuations in the regional situation.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quan-he-malaysia-han-quoc-nang-cap-de-thich-ung-295393.html