Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Fadillah Yusof (second left), visits the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery on September 19, 2025. (Photo/Tan Xinyu)

Chongqing - Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Fadillah Yusof, visited Chongqing from September 19 to 21 to promote cooperation between Chongqing and Malaysia.

On September 19, he was received by Chongqing Mayor Hu Henghua. Hu said that Chongqing will earnestly implement the important common understandings reached by the leaders of both countries, work with Malaysia to advance the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, expand economic and trade cooperation, deepen people-to-people exchanges, and contribute to building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

Fadillah said Malaysia will deepen cooperation with Chongqing in sectors such as electronic information, water services, infrastructure, education, tourism, and aviation, while welcoming Chongqing businesses to expand in Malaysia.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Fadillah Yusof, participates in a seminar in Chongqing on September 20, 2025. (Photo/Tan Xinyu)

At a seminar on September 20, Xie Fei, Deputy Director of the Chongqing Municipal Water Resources Bureau, outlined the city's water management efforts and expressed hopes to deepen cooperation with Malaysia in water management and conservation technologies to address climate-related water challenges.

Zhang Zichun, Deputy Party Secretary of Chongqing Water & Environment Group, added the group values cooperation with neighboring countries, especially in Southeast Asia, and under the Belt and Road Initiative, will share expertise in urban water management and environmental governance while expanding collaboration in infrastructure, technology, and talent training.

Fadillah noted his meetings with government and business representatives in Chongqing have deepened his understanding of the city. He emphasized the value of learning from Chongqing's experience and expressed hopes for closer cooperation not only between governments but also between enterprises, along with stronger people-to-people exchanges.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Fadillah Yusof (second right), visits the Chongqing Yuxi Water Co., Ltd. in Bishan District, Chongqing, on September 20, 2025. (Photo/Tan Xinyu)

Malaysia is one of Chongqing’s major trading partners in ASEAN, with 109 Malaysian enterprises established in the city. Last year, bilateral trade rose 22.7% to 23.3 billion yuan ($3.27 billion), representing nearly 20% of Chongqing’s total trade with ASEAN. From January to July this year, trade between the two sides maintained steady growth, reaching 10.51 billion yuan.

Chongqing has also become one of the top 10 most popular Chinese cities among Malaysian tourists. Last year, Malaysian tourist arrivals to the city jumped nearly sevenfold to 223,000, accounting for 17.5% of all inbound tourist arrivals. From January to August this year, the figure reached 188,000, a year-on-year increase of 128%, with Malaysia remaining the largest source of inbound visitors to Chongqing.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Fadillah Yusof (third left), visits the Zhongshe Engineering Consulting (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. on September 21, 2025. (Photo/Tan Xinyu)

During his visit to Chongqing, he toured the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery to learn about the city's history, culture, and economic development. He also visited Chongqing Yuxi Water Co., Ltd. and Zhongshe Engineering Consulting (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. to gain insights into water technology services and management.