SITI NURHALIZA CALLS PERFORMANCE AT DINNER HONOURING PRESIDENT XI A GREAT PRIVILEGE

By Rohani Mohd Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s national songstress, Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin, has described the opportunity to perform at the official state dinner in honour of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his delegation in Putrajaya on Wednesday evening as a great privilege.

Siti Nurhaliza expressed her gratitude in a post shared via her TikTok account today.

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“My heartfelt thanks for this invitation and meaningful opportunity. May the musical ties between Malaysia and China continue to flourish and strengthen,” she said.

In her post, the nation’s most celebrated singer also shared a 1-minute and 54-second video of her performance at Seri Perdana during the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, held in conjunction with President Xi’s state visit.

Siti Nurhaliza was seen performing the traditional Malaysian song Cindai as well as the classic Mandarin ballad The Moon Represents My Heart, originally sung by Chen Fen-lan in 1973 and later re-recorded by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng in 1977.

In the video shared, her performance appeared to be warmly received, with applause from President Xi, Prime Minister Anwar, and members of the Chinese delegation.

President Xi is undertaking a three-day state visit to Malaysia from Tuesday to Thursday at the invitation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim.

This marks the Chinese leader’s second official visit to Malaysia in 12 years, his previous visit being in 2013, during which both nations elevated their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

President Xi’s trip is part of his first series of State Visits this year, which also include Vietnam and Cambodia.

Malaysia and China established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974.

Both countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year.

China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years since 2009. In 2024, trade between the two countries reached RM484.12 billion (US$1 = RM4.41), accounting for 16.8 per cent of Malaysia’s total global trade (RM2.88 trillion).

-- BERNAMA