Malaysian King in China, train project from Kunming to Singapore
Sultan Ibrahim arrived in Beijing to mark 50 years of bilateral relations. Kuala Lumpur is looking to Chinese investments to build connectivity with neighbouring Singapore. Malaysian oil exploration in the South China Sea is a bone of contention between the two countries.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Malaysian King Ibrahim arrived in Beijing for the first visit by a Malaysian monarch to China in ten years.
The four-day visit is taking place amid celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations, and includes meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
“His Majesty's visit provides an excellent opportunity for both sides to reaffirm a shared commitment in ensuring that Malaysia-China relations continue to remain forward-looking, dynamic and prosperous,” Malaysia's foreign ministry said.
For the Southeast Asian country, the goal is to obtain Chinese support for projects aimed at boosting connectivity with neighbouring Singapore.
Installed as the country's 17th king in January under Malaysia’s monarchical system, in which the heads of the country’s nine royal families rotate as head of state every five years and must remain impartial, the Sultan of Johor Ibrahim, 65, has stated that he wants to intervene directly in the country's political affairs.
In an interview before his accession to the throne, he proposed that the state-owned oil company Petronas and the anti-corruption agency report directly to the king.
Chinese Premier Li already visited Kuala Lumpur in June, backing Malaysian plans to develop rail connectivity via other Chinese-backed rail projects in Laos and Thailand.
This is part of a pan-Asian railway network linking Kunming in China to Singapore, presumably through Johor, where the sultan also wants to develop a railway link.
Sultan Ibrahim also mentioned plans to revive a stalled high-speed rail line between Malaysia and Singapore with a border crossing at Forest City.
During his stay in China, the king is expected to attend the naming ceremony of the Chair of Malaysian Studies at Beijing University of Foreign Studies and meet with the Malay diaspora.
China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner since 2009. Last year, total bilateral trade was valued at US$ 98.9 billion, 17.1 per cent of Malaysia's global trade. Malaysia is China's second-largest trading partner among ASEAN countries, behind only Vietnam.
Trade ties between China and Malaysia came into the spotlight earlier this month when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had received a protest note from China calling for a halt to Malaysia's oil exploration activities in the South China Sea.
The prime minister stressed that the two sides continue to discuss the issue.
China claims almost all the South China Sea as its territory based on historical maps, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal ruled that China's claim has no basis in international law, a ruling that China does not recognise.
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22/03/2024 16:27
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