The official visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Malaysia from April 27 to 28 is very important to both Malaysia and China as it allows both sides to take stock of the bilateral cooperation in various areas.

Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, stressing that the visit was crucial, particularly to follow up on the agreements and understandings achieved during Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to China in June 2009.

"At the same time, the visit would reinforce mutual trust and confidence to further enhance the scope of bilateral cooperation in various fields for mutual benefit," the ministry added.

Wen is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia Wednesday afternoon.

The ministry said Malaysia and China enjoyed an excellent relationship at all levels since the establishment of diplomatic relations 37 years ago.

"At the core of this warm and friendly relations are the long standing close people-to-people contacts underpinned by centuries old historical and economic links," the ministry said.

The ministry said China was Malaysia's largest trading partner, second largest export destination and largest source of import in 2010.

It added that Malaysia had also been China's largest trading partner in ASEAN for three consecutive years since 2008.