The contacts and exchanges between the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) are conducive to the development of the relations between Malaysia and China, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday.

Badawi, who is also UMNO president, made the remarks while meeting with a CPC delegation headed by Hu Jiayan, deputy secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC.

Friendship between Malaysia and China dated back to 600 years ago, when the Chinese maritime explorer Zheng He set foot on Malacca, Badawi said.

Badawi said he hoped that the friendly relations between the two parties, the two countries and between the Malaysian and Chinese peoples could be further strengthened.

The CPC delegation, which arrived here Wednesday afternoon, attended the 56th UMNO General Assembly on Thursday.

The UMNO leads the party coalition National Front, which has been ruling Malaysia since its independence in 1957.

Source: Xinhua