China's Geely and Malaysia Proton launch the first new car in Kuala Lumpur
On December 15, Malaysia local time, Chengdu and Penang signed a memorandum of friendship and cooperation between the Penang Island City Hall of Malaysia and the Chengdu Government of the People’s Republic of China. The two cities will use this as a starting point to strengthen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation in the fields of general aviation tourism, culture and education, intergovernmental exchanges, economic and trade investment, and logistics. So far, Chengdu has 58 cities with friendly and cooperative relations; 35 international sister cities have been established; 17 foreign countries have been approved to establish consular offices in Chengdu, ranking first in the central and western regions.
"Oriental Pearl" Penang is also a gourmet paradise
Penang, also known as "Penang", is one of the thirteen federal states of Malaysia with an area of 1,048 square kilometers and a population of 1.77 million. It was colonized and developed by the British in 1786 and became the commercial center of the Far East. It is known as the Oriental Pearl. Developed manufacturing and tourism industries, it is an Asian food paradise. The Malacca Strait divides the entire Penang into two parts, Penang Island and Perai Province. The eastern and northern parts of Perai Province are adjacent to Kedah State, and the southern part is adjacent to Perak State. The western part of Penang Island faces the Indonesian island of Sumatra across the Malacca Strait.
In 2017, the total import and export volume between Chengdu and Malaysia was 27.35 billion yuan, an increase of 129.44% year-on-year. Among them, exports increased by 231.38% and imports increased by 49.12%, ranking second among ASEAN countries. From January to October 2018, the total import and export volume between Chengdu and Malaysia was 25.666 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.87%. As of October 2018, 93 Malaysian companies have invested in Chengdu with actual use of US$500 million in foreign capital. They are mainly involved in machinery manufacturing, electronic information and real estate development. Well-known companies include Hong Leong Bank, Unison Group, Parkway Medical, Parkson Department Store, Shangri-La Hotel and Kerry Logistics, etc.
Chengdu direct flights to Malaysia 13 flights per week
Currently, Chengdu has opened direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (7 flights per week), Kota Kinabalu (3 flights per week), and Langkawi (3 flights per week), 13 flights per week. In July 2017, the first "Ronggui Horse" test train was launched. As of July 2018, a total of 46 trains have been issued for the rail-sea intermodal international train from Chengdu to Malaysia. The main cargoes are general chemicals and furniture.
From January to October 2018, the number of tourists from Chengdu to Malaysia ranked third among ASEAN countries; the number of tourists from Malaysia to Chengdu ranked second among ASEAN countries.
Chengdu University has established inter-university partnerships with the University of Raman Malaysia, the University of Sarawak Malaysia, and the University of Putra Malaysia. 42 Malaysian students are studying at the China-ASEAN Art College of Chengdu University.