SHANGHAI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will commence the third day of his working visit to Shanghai, China, with a Dialogue Session with Chinese investors organised by Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Among the investors are Chengwei Capital and NRL Capital.

Earlier, Malaysian Ambassador to China Datuk Norman Muhamad said the objective of Anwar’s four-day working visit to China starting Nov 4 is to meet potential investors to boost the country’s economy.

“The focus this time is the economy. A busy schedule awaits the Prime Minister, including meetings with companies that have the potential to invest in Malaysia,” he said in a press conference in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s visit to China, on Nov 4.

In Shanghai, the Prime Minister is expected to meet several companies and hold a round table session with 23 ‘captains of industry’.

The Prime Minister is expected to depart from Shanghai in the afternoon, the first stop before Beijing.

He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.

The Prime Minister’s working visit to China is at the invitation of his counterpart Li Qiang to attend the 7th China International Import Expo (7th CIIE) in Shanghai.

CIIE is a trade fair organised by the Chinese government that provides a platform for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to promote and export goods and services to the country.

For 15 consecutive years since 2009, China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner.

In 2023, total trade with China was valued at RM450.84 billion (US$98.80 billion), contributing to 17.1 per cent of Malaysia’s global trade.

As of September 2024, the recorded total trade was RM355.15 billion (US$76.72 billion).

In the first half of 2024, a total of 15 manufacturing projects were implemented with investment totalling RM1.2 billion (US$252.5 million).

This trip marks the third visit to China for Anwar, as the Prime Minister made his maiden visit to the country in March 2023, followed by September of the same year.

However, this is his first visit to Shanghai.

The four-day working visit will end in Beijing on Nov 7.