More air links with China soon
Loke: Increased flights to boost tourism to and from countries
PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke will visit Beijing next month to help increase air links between Malaysia and China.
“We hope to increase flights between our cities. Hopefully, more Chinese tourists will visit Malaysia.
“Malaysians are also interested to visit cities in China. This will boost relations between both countries,” he said.
Loke said to complement the effort, the China help desk at the KL Internatioanal Airport will be made a permanent feature.
The minister announced in September that Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) had deployed two fluent Mandarin speakers and four basic Mandarin speakers at critical junctions at Satellite Building, Contact Pier, immigration arrival and baggage reclaim area at both KLIA main terminal and KLIA2.
Loke said he would also meet China Cosco Shipping Corp Ltd to invite it to make Malaysia its transshipment hub inthe region.
“In the maritime industry, it is not just about ports cooperation, what we need is a strong shipping network.
“I would like to invite the Chinese government, in particular Cosco Shipping, to make Malaysia its major transshipment hub in South-East Asia,” he said in his speech at the International Forum on New Inclusive Asia here yesterday.
China Cosco Shipping, which was formed as a result of the merger between Cosco Container Lines and China Shipping Container Lines, has emerged as China’s biggest container line and the fourth largest in the world.
Loke also said his target was for Malaysia to export locomotive products in the future, and said China Railway Rolling Stock Corp (CRRC) should double its investment in Malaysia.
CRRC has invested 400mil yuan (RM242mil) to set up a rolling stock centre in Batu Gajah, Perak.
Speaking to reporters later, the minister said Malaysia maintained its position in the dispute with Singapore over airspace and Johor Baru port limits.
“It is important that we make our position very clear. We stand by our position,” he said when asked about the next course of action by his ministry.
Loke had said that in accordance with international law, the territorial sea of Singapore remains unchanged even when reclamation has been carried out almost to the outer limits of its territorial seas.
On Tuesday, he told Parliament that Malaysia intended to take back control of its airspace over southern Johor, which had been delegated to Singapore in the past.