KUALA LUMPUR -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Tuesday for a state visit to Malaysia.

He was warmly welcomed by Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

In a written statement upon his arrival at the airport, Xi said he expected to take his visit as an opportunity to further deepen the bilateral traditional friendship and strengthen political mutual trust.

Xi called on the two sides to promote cooperation in modernization endeavors, jointly enhance exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and continuously elevate the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future to new heights.

He expressed hope that, with the joint efforts of China and Malaysia, his visit will yield fruitful outcomes, opening a new historic chapter of good-neighborly friendship and mutual benefit between the two countries, and ushering in a new "Golden 50 Years" for bilateral relations.

Xi pointed out that China and Malaysia are friendly neighbors across the sea with a millennium-old traditional friendship.

He said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, the two countries have been committed to mutual respect, equal treatment and win-win cooperation, setting a good example of state-to-state relations.

Xi recalled that the two sides reached important consensus on jointly building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future in 2023, and last year, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Noting that China and Malaysia are important developing countries and members of the Global South, Xi said deepening high-level strategic cooperation between the two countries serves the common interests of both countries and is conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.