Mega railway begins construction

A mega railway to be built by China was officially launched on Wednesday in the Malaysian city of Kuantan, a milestone for China-Malaysia ties as China pushed forward the Belt and Road Initiative. At a cost of 55 billion ringgit ($12.83 billion), the 688-km East Coast Rail Link will help upgrade public transportation infrastructure in the east coast, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak when inaugurating the groundbreaking ceremony of the project. The ECRL is the first artery railway built in the east coast, which has been connected to the west coast only “via a network of roads and highways, and small rail lines that were woefully inadequate.” Describing the project as a game-changer for Malaysia, Najib said it will significantly cut travel time from Gombak in suburban Kuala Lumpur to Kota Baru in the northeastern state of Kelantan from seven to four hours.

ZHANG TAO / FOR CHINA DAILY A kid eyes candies imported from Taiwan province at a newly opened duty-free retail shop in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province. Since its opening on Tuesday, the shop, which sells only imported products, has attracted more than 100,000 customers.