Malaysia seeks to revive China-backed Forest City megaproject – never mind the stray dogs, crocodiles and day drinkers
- Chinese developer Country Garden’s US$100 billion flagship Malaysia project has fallen on hard times since its launch to much fanfare in 2016
- But there’s hope that tax and visa incentives, a possible high-speed rail connection and pivoting towards more local buyers will attract investors back
By day, the Chinese-funded Forest City development is a picture of lost promises and decay: stray dogs patrol an empty beach dotted with “Danger Crocodiles – No Swimming” signs, after the reptiles colonised the area in the absence of human residents.
But it is at night when the true costs of the failed US$100 billion punt on the purchasing power of China’s middle class reveals itself, in the lonely lights of the few occupied units of the 30-storey tower blocks that have been built.
The malaise starts on entering the wedge of reclaimed land in Johor where cars have to navigate a partially collapsed motorway that was built just a few years ago, while dense tropical undergrowth reclaims buildings and boulevards lined by closed shops.
“People in JB don’t go there,” said Darren Lim, a quantity surveyor in Johor Bahru a short drive away. “There is really nothing to do.”