KUALA LUMPUR -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that he looks forward to meeting with Malaysian friends to celebrate the friendship between China and Malaysia and plan for future cooperation.

He made the remarks in a signed article titled "May the Ship of China-Malaysia Friendship Sail Toward an Even Brighter Future" published in local media including the English-language newspaper The Star ahead of his arrival in Malaysia for a state visit.

The two countries must work together to give fresh momentum to their ship of friendship that has sailed through the long river of history, and ensure that it forges ahead steadily toward brighter horizons, he said.

He also expressed the hope that the two peoples will visit each other as often as family.

Xi urged China and Malaysia to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen cooperation on industrial and supply chains.

The two sides must uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation, he said.

Xi said that China will work with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism.

Noting that China-ASEAN cooperation is the most results-oriented and most productive in the region, Xi said that China firmly supports ASEAN unity and community-building, and supports ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture.

He also said that China fully supports Malaysia in its role as ASEAN chair for 2025.