Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a four-day state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, this is Sultan Ibrahim's first visit to a non-ASEAN country since assuming office as the head of state in January 2024. President Xi will hold a welcome ceremony and a banquet for him. The two heads of state will hold talks and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will meet with King Sultan Ibrahim.
China and Malaysia have a long-standing traditional friendship and are good neighbors and partners in mutual assistance and win-win cooperation, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at Wednesday's press briefing.
In March last year, President Xi reached an important consensus with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, which has provided direction for the development of China-Malaysia relations in the new era, Lin said.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia and the Year of China-Malaysia Friendship.
China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years and is also one of the major sources of foreign investment for Malaysia.
King of Malaysia arrives in Beijing for state visit
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
