Fiji and Malaysia are like-minded friends with shared values building on the strong historical relations since our nations were founded and it is heartening to see both Fiji and Malaysia till today continue to move in lockstep.
This was highlighted by the Charge d Affaires AD Interim of the High Commission of Malaysia in Suva, Ong Tze Shen during the 66th National Day and 60th Malaysia Day celebration.
Ong says this year's theme “Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope” is in line with the determination and commitment to developing Malaysia with the people being united, possessing a high spirit of unity and living in peace and prosperity.
He says ties between Fiji and Malaysia can be traced back to the 1950’s when 1,600 Fijians served in Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency which proved to be a rock-solid foundation that cemented the unbreakable bond between Fiji and Malaysia.
The Charge d Affairs AD Interim further says the excellent friendship between Malaysia and Fiji also extends to trade ties as total trade for January and May 2023 was valued at USD$87.4million (FJD$198.60million), an increase of 69.64% from USD$51.52million (FJD$117.07 million) recorded during the same period in 2022.
He says it is worth noting that Malaysia consistently holds a position among Fiji's top ten trading partners.
Ong says this reflects the robustness and resilience of our bilateral trade relations whereby, petroleum oils, vegetable oils and more recently motorcars from Malaysia are well received in Fiji.
