This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. On March 6, the "Let's Go! Malaysia" cultural, commercial, and tourism promotion conference was held in Changsha. During the event, government officials, business leaders, and representatives from the cultural and tourism sectors of both countries discussed opportunities for cooperation.

Guests attending the "Let's Go! Malaysia" cultural, commercial, and tourism promotion conference. (Photo/Tang Xiaoqing)

Hunan Province has strengthened cooperation with Malaysia across cultural, tourism, commercial, and trade sectors in recent years. According to data from the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, Hunan-based enterprises such as CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive, Sany Group, and Hunan Construction Investment Group have actively expanded their presence in the Malaysian market. Bilateral trade between Hunan and Malaysia reached 36.5 billion CNY in 2023. Hunan has established 43 overseas investment enterprises in Malaysia, with a total contracted value of direct foreign investment amounting to 840 million USD.

2026 marks the start of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. Hunan Province and Malaysia have jointly launched the "Let's Go! Malaysia" series of cultural tourism communication projects and a special program on exploring Malaysia. Through immersive "travel buddy-style" experiences, these initiatives enable residents from both regions to gain deeper insights into each other's landscapes, culture, and people.

Dai Peizhi, deputy section chief of the Promotion, Communication, and Exchange Cooperation Division of the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, attended the promotional event. She noted that Hunan has conducted cultural and tourism promotions in over 30 countries and regions. The province has introduced twelve measures and incentive schemes to boost inbound tourism, making every effort to attract Malaysian tourists to visit Hunan.

Major cooperative partners from Hunan and Malaysia formally signed a "Letter of Intent for Cultural, Tourism, Commercial, and Trade Cooperation" on the same day. "Hunan promotes its quality goods to Southeast Asia while also facilitating the entry of premium Malaysian products into the Chinese market," Zhou Zhangsheng, second-level inspector (deputy director-general level) of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, said at the promotional event. He added that Hunan and Malaysia share high compatibility and strong complementarity in industrial development, with commercial and trade cooperation serving as a bond of friendship between the two sides. The commodity exhibition and business matchmaking platform established through this event aimed to enable both sides to leverage their respective strengths and complementary resources to create shared value.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: Chinanews