China, Malaysia usher in new cooperation phase

Thanks to his in-depth talks with China's top leaders during his just-concluded five-day official visit to China, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has set a pragmatic tone for the promotion of bilateral relations and cooperation in Belt and Road Initiative projects.

One important outcome of the visit was that Mahathir made it clear he canceled the China-financed East Coast Rail Link and two gas pipeline projects in Malacca and Sabah because Malaysia could not afford them, and not to offend China.

Contrary to Western assumptions that the cancellation of the $20 billion ECRL and $2.3 billion energy pipelines would deal a blow to Sino-Malaysian relations, the consultations between the two sides laid the foundation for a new phase of cooperation. In fact, Mahathir said the cancellation of the projects was good for development of bilateral ties.