BEIJING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will personally invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the 2025 Asean Summit.
The prime minister said that the invitation would be extended during a courtesy call with Xi later today.
"In terms of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, I will leave it to him (Xi) to decide," Anwar said.
"However, I would strongly urge him to attend the Asean Summit, as he considers Malaysia a great friend," he added.
Anwar made these remarks during the exit press conference with the Malaysian media following the final day of his work trip in China today.
Present at the press conference were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
The Prime Minister had previously referenced Xi's remarks during the recent BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, where the Chinese president urged the adoption of a spirit of shared future to counter forces of discord and protectionism.
Anwar said under Xi's leadership, China has promoted the shared future policy aggressively, emphasising that the world should benefit everyone, every country, big or small.
He added that the principle of a shared future has also been well received by countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Global South.
He also said this was the reason why Malaysia agreed to participate in BRICS.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies, with South Africa joining in 2010. The bloc collectively accounts for one-fifth of global trade.
On Oct 24, Malaysia was among 13 nations officially added to BRICS as a partner country, although Malaysia is not yet a full member.