Chinese President Xi Jinping will start his state visit to Malaysia on Tuesday at the invitation of King of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim.
Malaysia is the second leg of his three-nation Southeast Asian tour.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is currently on a state visit to Vietnam from Monday to Tuesday. He will subsequently pay state visits to Malaysia and Cambodia from Tuesday to Friday.
Xi's visits to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia are his first trips abroad this year and hold significant importance for the overall development of China's relations with the three countries and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.
Malaysia covers an area of about 330,000 square kilometers and has a population of about 33.7 million, with ethnic Chinese accounting for over 22 percent.
Rich in natural resources, Malaysia is among the world’s leading producers and exporters of rubber, palm oil, and pepper.
China and Malaysia officially established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974. In 2013, the two countries elevated bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. In 2023, they agreed to jointly build a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, bilateral cooperation in economy and trade has continued to expand, with growing exchanges in culture, science and technology, education, and tourism.
Malaysia was one of the very first countries to positively respond to and actively participate in China's Belt and Road Initiative, and cooperation between China and Malaysia within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative has yielded fruitful results.
China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, while Malaysia remains China’s second-largest trading partner and the largest source of imports within the ASEAN.
In 2024, China-Malaysia bilateral trade reached 212 billion U.S. dollars, marking an 11.4 percent year-on-year increase.
Xi to start state visit to Malaysia on Tuesday
Xi to start state visit to Malaysia on Tuesday
Xi to start state visit to Malaysia on Tuesday
The Israeli military on Sunday admitted that a series of professional failures resulted in the killing of 15 emergency responders in southern Gaza last month, while a spokeswoman for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) rejected the claim, calling the report full of lies.
The findings were released following an internal investigation conducted by the General Staff Fact-Finding Mechanism. The probe concluded that troops involved in the incident did not engage in "indiscriminate fire," but acknowledged serious operational and procedural errors.
According to the investigation, the incident occurred before dawn on March 23 in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah. Israeli forces mistakenly identified emergency vehicles as belonging to Hamas due to "poor night visibility." A deputy commander allegedly failed to recognize the vehicles as ambulances and assessed them as hostile. Minutes later, soldiers opened fire on a UN-marked vehicle, which the military attributed to "operational errors in breach of regulations."
The investigation found that eight Red Crescent staff, six Civil Defense personnel, and a UN employee were killed in the shooting. Video evidence later contradicted initial Israeli claims that the vehicles lacked emergency markings. Footage showed ambulances with flashing lights and visible logos as medics approached another ambulance that had previously come under fire. The teams did not display hostile behavior, yet came under sustained gunfire lasting over five minutes.
Following the shooting, Israeli troops used bulldozers to bury the bodies and vehicles. Rescue and UN workers were only able to access the site approximately one week later to retrieve the remains.
The military stated that the deputy commander responsible for initiating the attack and providing an "incomplete and inaccurate report" during the debrief would be dismissed. A senior commander will also face disciplinary measures for his role in managing the scene.
While the probe acknowledged that crushing the ambulances was a mistake, Yoav Har-Even, who leads the military's investigative division, said the action was taken to clear the road for evacuation purposes later that day. He denied any intent to conceal the incident.
The investigation also refuted allegations that the victims had been executed at close range or that they were bound before or after the shooting. These claims were raised by the head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who said the responders had been "targeted at close range."
The investigation's findings have been submitted to the Military Advocate General, which may decide whether to pursue legal charges. The investigative process is formally overseen by Israel's attorney general and Supreme Court, though no independent international investigations are currently underway.
According to the United Nations, Israeli military strikes have killed more than 1,000 health workers since the onset of the conflict. The Israeli military has been criticized for rarely conducting thorough investigations into such cases.
On the same day, Nebal Farsakh, a spokeswoman for the PRCS, refuted the claim, saying the investigation was full of lies.
She said the report, which attributed the deaths of the 15 people to operational errors by the Israeli military or even individual misjudgment by certain commanders, did not tally with the facts, stressing that such a report was both invalid and unacceptable.
Israel admits "professional failures" in killing medics, Palestine Red Crescent Society refutes its claim
