On 6 March 2013, the second lecture of ASEAN Ambassador Lecture Series co-hosted by ASEAN-China Centre and Beijing Foreign Studies University was held in BFSU. H.E. Ambassador Iskandar Sarudin of Malaysia delivered a key-note speech on "Malaysia-China Relations: Diplomacy and the Role of the Young Generation". Professor Han Zhen, President of BFSU, and Secretary-General Ma Mingqiang also delivered greeting remarks respectively. More than 200 audience, including faculties and students from the BFSU，and representatives from the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, ASEAN Embassies in Beijing and Chinese media, attended the lecture.
In his welcome remarks, Professor Han Zhen pointed out that BFSU had been playing an active role in the promotion of China-Malaysia cooperation in education. The subject of Malay language study was set up in 1961, which marked the first in China, and the Malaysia Study Center was founded in 1996 in BFSU. The BFSU would continue its commitment in the exchanges and cooperation in the area of education between the two countries, and contribute more to the friendship of Malaysia-China relationship.
In his opening remarks, Ma Mingqiang said China and Malaysia share very long history of friendship and cooperation. Malaysian leaders expressed many times that the development of China is not a threat but a great opportunity to Malaysia and ASEAN. Malaysia is the largest trading partner of China in ASEAN and has strong presence in China. The annual two-way personnel exchange is about 3 million with an increasing momentum of overseas students. He emphasized that the young generation is the key to the future development of Malaysia-China and ASEAN-China relations, and expressed the hope that the young people would join in the promotion of Malaysia-China relations and ASEAN-China cooperation.
In his key-note speech, Ambassador Sarudin reviewed the friendly relations between Malaysia and China since ancient times. He pointed out that the expedition by Cheng Ho, the Chinese navigator in Ming Dynasty, to Southeast Asia in the 15th Century introduced China’s diplomacy to the world. Cheng Ho brought back to China trade, business and knowledge of navigation, but not slaves, land and territory, although China at that time had the capability to colonize the world. At present, the two countries have very good political relations and huge trading volume. China is opportunity to Malaysia and to ASEAN. So long China is prosperous, progressing and stable, ASEAN is prosperous, progressing and stable, and vice versa. He hoped that the young generation of the two countries could commit and contribute to the future development of Malaysia-China and ASEAN-China relations.
On the same day, Ambassador Sarudin also visited the Malaysia Study Center in BFSU and received an exclusive interview by China Radio International.
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