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Chinese ‘projects will not go on’: Mahathir blasts Najib’s ‘stupidity’
Renegotiation of deals worth tens of billions of dollars appears to have stalled as Malaysian leader wraps up five-day visit to China
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Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday demurred on whether there had been resolutions on his plans to cancel controversial Beijing-backed infrastructure projects in his country after meetings with top Chinese leaders, as he repeatedly slammed his predecessor Najib Razak’s “stupidity” for endorsing the deals in the first place.
Mahathir’s five-day visit to China – capped by meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang – was in part meant to move along renegotiation talks on the projects, but the Malaysian leader said more time was needed to achieve his objectives.
While that may have been one unchecked box after his highly anticipated trip, Mahathir said he was glad he was able to assuage anxieties about his policy towards China following his shock defeat of the Beijing-friendly Najib in May.
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The premier continued to demur on whether he was seeking to cancel or defer the US$20 billion East Coast Rail Link and two pipelines worth over US$2 billion. While stating that the projects had been cancelled outright, he also said they may be “deferred”.
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The 93-year-old leader in July suspended the projects citing their “lopsided” terms against Malaysia and high costs.
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