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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to meet Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad
Talks on Tuesday are expected to “iron out” a new economic relationship following Mahathir’s suspension of Beijing-backed projects worth US$23 billion
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday, government sources have said, adding to a recent diplomatic flurry between the two sides after the suspension of several Beijing-backed projects in the Southeast Asian country.
Wang’s meeting with Mahathir will be the first by a top Chinese leader since the 93-year-old returned to power for a second time after his shock defeat of his ex-protégé Najib Razak in the May 9 general election.
Malaysian government sources told This Week in Asia Wang’s whistle-stop visit – en route to meetings in Singapore with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – will include courtesy calls with Mahathir, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, as well as a dinner with members of Malaysia’s Council of Eminent Persons.
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The advisory council was formed by Mahathir in the immediate aftermath of the election to assist in the transition process following the first democratic handover of power in the country’s 61-year history.
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The council’s chairman Daim Zainuddin, a confidante of Mahathir and a former finance minister, met Premier Li Keqiang and Wang Yi during a one-day visit to Beijing last week.
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