On 6 August 2019, NISCSS President Wu Shicun attended the 5th Seminar on China-Malaysia Relations in Haikou, upon the invitation of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA). The seminar was co-organized by the CPIFA and Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia (ISIS Malaysia), supported by the China Institute for Reform and Development (CIRD). It brought together more than 50 participants from China and Malaysia, including senior diplomats as well as scholars and experts from well-known think tanks and research institutes. CPIFA President Wang Chao and ISIS Malaysia Chairman Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa delivered keynote speeches at the opening ceremony.

President Wu Shicun delivered a speech at the session on “45 Years of China-Malaysia Diplomatic Relations: Retrospect and Prospect from Regional and International Perspective” of the seminar. In his remarks, Dr. Wu pointed out that China and Malaysia should continue to cooperate in various fields as follows. To begin with, both sides should make good use of the tremendous opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). For example, China and Malaysia could seek ways to effectively align the BRI with Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and Malaysia's "Vision 2030", so as to further promote infrastructure connectivity of both sides; more cooperative projects should be conducted in agriculture, education, medical care and other areas involving people's livelihood. China and Malaysia should also jointly promote negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to reach an agreement at an early date. Second, China and Malaysia should strengthen cooperation in ocean governance. On the one hand, both sides should properly handle disputes, manage differences and expand consensus on the South China Sea issues through enhanced communication and coordination, and jointly advance the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) consultations to be completed within three years. On the other hand, bilateral cooperation should be further promoted as a regional model in various fields specified in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), such as maritime search and rescue, environmental protection and scientific research; under the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, more pragmatic cooperative projects should be explored in law enforcement at the sea, fishery resources conservation, and other aspects of ocean governance through strengthened communication, experience sharing and technology exchanges at the government level. Third, regarding the construction of Hainan as a pilot free trade zone and free trade port, China and Malaysia could take advantage of relevant policies and promote cooperation in seed industry, tropical agriculture and ocean economy. Especially, we can focus on cruise tourism around the South China Sea as a leading project in developing economic cooperation of the greater South China Sea region in various fields. The last but not the least, China and Malaysia could continue to support exchanges and cooperation between think tanks of both sides. NISCSS, CIRD and ISIS Malaysia should jointly explore the opportunities provided by the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund, and further develop various projects that promote people-to-people connectivity in ocean governance.  

The Seminar on China-Malaysia Relations is an institutionalized track II dialogue mechanism jointly established by the CPIFA and ISIS Malaysia in 2014, which has successfully held five sessions so far.

On 5 August 2019, the Malaysian delegation headed by ISIS Chairman Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa visited NISCSS, and met with President Wu Shiucn. Dr. Wu and Tan Sri Rastam exchanged views on promoting economic cooperation between Hainan and Malaysia in various fields, such as tropical agriculture, trade and investment, making use of Hainan free trade zone (port) policies.