China seeks to strengthen ties with Malaysia as work starts on key belt and road rail link
Senior official visits country ahead of ceremony to mark start of work on strategically vital piece of transport infrastructure
A Chinese state councillor has arrived in Malaysia to visit the site of a controversial railway project located in a strategic position for Southeast Asian trade routes.
Wang Yong, who is also head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac), will attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the East Coast Rail Line project on Wednesday, according to a Malaysian foreign ministry statement.
During the three-day trip, he is also scheduled to pay a “courtesy call” to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and will visit another Chinese investment project, the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park.
“During the courtesy call, Wang is expected to discuss matters relating to ... bilateral cooperation as well as on the Chinese investments and projects in Malaysia,” the Malaysian ministry said on Tuesday.
Malaysia is one of the key posts for China’s ambitious belt and road trade and infrastructure plan.
The US$13 billion East Coast Rail Line project – connecting ports on the east and west coasts of the Malay peninsula – was controversially awarded to state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) without a tendering process.