Malaysia invites China’s Xi to visit, ramps up tourism target

Malaysia has invited China’s President Xi Jingping to visit, its ambassador to Beijing said on Friday, as the Southeast Asian country also seeks to boost the number of Chinese tourists to five million a year to fuel economic growth.
China and Malaysia will mark the 50th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic relations next year, and Malaysia recently announced tourists from China would be able to travel visa free for 30 days, a move mirroring Thailand.
Government data showed Malaysia welcomed 498,540 Chinese tourists in the six months to June this year, a figure almost a third of pre-pandemic levels. In comparison, Thailand said it expected 3.4-3.5 million visitors from China this year.