Major newspapers of Malaysia carried various articles ahead of the upcoming official visit to Vietnam of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his spouse, which will take place on August 27-28.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (Source: The Straits Times)  

The New Strait Times newspaper highlighted that the visit of the Malaysian PM this time is intended to further strengthen the bilateral relations and create chances to bolster trade with a target to bring two-way trade turnover to 15 billion USD next year.

The newspaper quoted Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Shariffah Norhana Syed Mustaffa as saying that since the two countries set up diplomatic ties in March 1973, the bilateral relationship has been fostered and developed constantly in various spheres.

Malaysia is currently Vietnam’s 11th biggest trade partner while Vietnam is Malaysia’s 13th major partner in the world, and fourth leading trade partner in ASEAN after Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

In addition, Malaysia is the eighth largest investor in Vietnam with investments amounting to 12.48 billion USD in 2018, she noted.

The Malaysian PM and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc will discuss the bilateral ties and ways to promote new collaborations in numerous fields, such as trade and industry, security, education and agriculture, along with regional and global issues of mutual concern.

While in Vietnam, the Malaysian PM is set to visit the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park and give a speech to Vietnamese university students on Malaysia’s preparation towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He will also pay a visit to the Vinfast automobile manufacturing factory of VinGroup and the Noi Bai Industrial Zone which is managed by a Malaysian-Vietnamese joint venture company. PM Mahathir attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the industrial zone during his previous Vietnam visit in 1998, the Malaysian diplomat said.

Earlier, the Bernama news agency ran an interview with Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Nguyen Quy Quynh on the forthcoming visit of the Malaysian PM.

The diplomat attached importance to the visit of the Malaysian PM this time, which is expected to further consolidate the countries’ existing strategic partnership.

He said both countries have enjoyed great relations over the years, but there are still various opportunities in trade and investments that can be explored by the businesses of both countries.

Other Malaysian newspapers, including the Malaysiakini and The Sun Daily, also highlighted the Malaysian PM’s upcoming visit to Vietnam. They affirmed that Vietnam is a significant trade partner of Malaysia and the visit will deepen the bilateral ties and address several issues.