Malaysian PM's visit to strengthen ties

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad kicked off his first official visit outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region on Friday, a move indicating the new Malaysian government continues to pursue a proactive foreign policy toward China.

Mahathir arrived in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on Friday. His five-day trip is to include a visit to the headquarters of e-commerce giant Alibaba and carmaker Geely in Hangzhou, as well as meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing.

Ahead of his visit, Mahathir said the relationship with China was "very important" and he wanted to further strengthen the bilateral relations with this visit.