Paths to Prosperity: Malaysia PM talks to CGTN on BRI influence
Updated 19:30, 01-May-2019
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Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was one of 37 world leaders attending the forum. This is the 94-year-old's second visit to China in less than a year after being elected last year. CGTN's Wei Lynn Tang caught up with him to discuss the initiative.
WEI LYNN TANG CGTN REPORTER "You've just attended the Second Belt and Road Forum. And this forum has addressed key issues from increasing transparency to strengthening debt sustainability. How do you think this would appease skeptics, and what does this mean for future cooperation between Malaysia and China under the Belt and Road framework?"
MAHATHIR MOHAMAD MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER "Initially we thought the BRI was about the Silk Road, a land route to Europe, and the sea route through the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. But now it is quite clear that it is practically a world-wide project involving not only Southeast Asia and China, but also the Middle East, Africa and even Latin America. It is an effort to improve connectivity all over the world. It is a much bigger initiative than we at first thought. I am very glad that I'm here because now I understand better the intention behind this idea of the BRI."
WEI LYNN TANG CGTN REPORTER "There are still a lot of doubts surrounding the BRI, and Malaysia has recently revived two major Chinese-backed projects after months of renegotiation. So the East Coast Rail Link for one, the price tag is now lower, at the same time Malaysia gets to hire more local workers. Do you see this as a major step forward for the BRI in addressing some of the concerns surrounding it?"
MAHATHIR MOHAMAD MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER "In the first place the problems we had with the ECRL and Bandar Malaysia, it's not about Malaysia and China. It's about money, it's too expensive for us, we have to reduce the cost. Even if the project is with any other country, we would have to adopt the same strategy to reduce borrowings from other countries. It's not linked to the BRI. Chinese companies have been investing a lot in Malaysia, I met them just now and I find that they have put in a lot of money into Malaysia. And they seem to be happy with it. And we welcome their investment in Malaysia as much as we welcome all FDI."
WEI LYNN TANG CGTN REPORTER "So China was open and accommodating in the renegotiation process?"
MAHATHIR MOHAMAD MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER "Yes, China understands the problem of Malaysia to the extent they have been accommodating, and they have reduced the costs to fit in with Malaysia's own financial capacity."