Frozen durian - the result of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's visit to China
It can be seen that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad attaches great importance to relations with China. This is evidenced by the fact that China was the first country the Prime Minister visited after his appointment to the position. Why?
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| Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a meeting in Beijing, China. |
Because China is a powerful country with a large economy (during the visit, Mr. Mahathir repeatedly called Malaysia a small country). Because many previous joint projects with China have increased Malaysia's public debt, and during the election campaign, Mr. Mahathir pledged to reduce the debt. Besides, Malaysia and China have not resolved the dispute over the islands in the East Sea, Mr. Mahathir believes that the issue should be resolved only by peaceful means, and warships should not be present regularly in this sea area (understandably, here we are talking first about the Chinese navy).
From the documents released, it is unclear what issues were discussed during the visit and how deep the negotiations were. President Xi Jinping received Mr. Mahathir, the leaders held talks with Premier Li Keqiang, and assessed the visit as very important and contributing to the continuation of friendly relations between the two countries. President Xi Jinping called on all sides to strengthen relations with the aim of contributing to the further development of bilateral relations, as well as the revival of the Asian region, as well as progress and prosperity in the world.
Mahathir called on China to build fairer economic relations with Malaysia, suggesting that the Chinese contractor’s estimates for the East Coast Rail Link and two oil pipelines were too high, leading to an increase in Malaysia’s public debt. However, Mahathir has not yet closed the projects, and during the visit, the Chinese side did not insist on their continuation. It is likely that the decision on this issue has been shelved.
