The missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have cast a shadow over Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s recent trip to China to mark 40 years of bilateral ties, but it did not blight economic cooperation.

Both countries inked a slew of government and private sector agreements, ranging from facilitating trade and promoting industrial cooperation to establishing new consulates, over the six-day visit that ended on Sunday.

The Malaysian government’s investment arm Khazanah, for instance, signed a deal with Beijing Enterprises Group to explore investment opportunities in clean energy sectors in Malaysia.

Beijing also approved a 2.4 billion yuan (S$482 million) development fund for the joint China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park in southern Guangxi, on top of the one billion yuan pledged by the local government.

… “It’s a resilient relationship as Sino-Malaysian ties are traditionally not just government- led but also private sector-driven,” said Dr Oh Ei Sun of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.