Forum for better relations

PRIME Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is making a four-day visit to China beginning on Thursday to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Representatives from over 100 countries, including about 40 leaders of foreign governments, will gather in Beijing for this grand event. The forum will be a brandnew milestone for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

We hope Dr Mahathir’s visit will be a huge success and bring our bilateral ties and cooperation under the BRI to a new high.

It has been six years since President Xi Jinping launched the BRI to promote cooperation and development for all countries. The initiative has made far-reaching and profound impacts on the world, and a total of 124 countries and 29 international organisations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China.

The trade volume of goods between China and countries joining the BRI has reached more than US$6 trillion. China’s direct foreign investment to those countries has exceeded US$80bil, creating more than 200,000 local jobs. Through the BRI cooperation, some countries now have their first motorways and modern railways. Laos, a landlocked country, will have a land link upon the completion of the China-Laos Railway in 2021.

Belarus has developed its own car industry and is now home to the largest industrial park in Eurasia.

Since it was leased to a Chinese company, Piraeus port in Greece has become one of the fastest growing container ports in the world, soaring to 36th place from 93rd in 2010 in global container traffic. The port has about 10 Chinese staff but employs 3,000 Greeks, and it has also indirectly created more than 10,000 jobs locally.

The list of BRI success stories can go on and on. These stories fully illustrate the fact that while the BRI was launched by China, its benefits should be shared by the world. China introduced this initiative not only with its own development but also development for all countries in mind.

Guided by the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, the BRI is not exclusive but inclusive. It is not China’s geopolitical tool but a platform of cooperation for all countries to achieve common development. It will be a belt of cooperation and a road of opportunities, and China will continue to work with all other parties to make the road broader and the belt tighter.

The link between Malaysia and China dates back hundreds of years to when the peninsula was an important stop on the ancient maritime silk road. The stories of General Cheng Ho’s legendary voyages to the South China Sea and Melaka are widely known, and these have shaped positive perceptions of China among Malaysians. Malaysia was among the first countries to support the BRI and is now showing the early results.

Under the BRI, cooperation between China and Malaysia in various fields has expanded. Volume of bilateral trade is now worth US$100bil, and China has been the biggest trading partner for Malaysia for 10 consecutive years.

Chinese foreign direct investments (FDI) in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia has grown more than four times, from US$0.92bil in 2013 to US$4.75bil in 2018. At the end of 2018, Chinese companies had invested in 422 projects in the manufacturing sector, creating about 73,000 jobs in Malaysia. The China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park, often referred to as “Two Countries Twin Parks”, are growing rapidly. Projects such as the Gemas-Johor Baru Railway are advancing steadily and the East Coast Rail Link project has just been rebooted after friendly consultations. The China Communication Construction Co Ltd (CRRC) has set up its rolling stock plant in Perak with state-ofthe-art technology and largest production capacity in the Asean region. Proton is now on the verge of turning profits after just a oneyear cooperation with Geely.

The BRI not only bestows a strong momentum to the ChinaMalaysia cooperation, but it also provides opportunities for ordinary families and people to realise their dreams. Vijay Kumar, one of the first local employees of CRRC Malaysia, has been fascinated with trains since he was a child. Having been promoted from an ordinary worker to a director, he has fulfilled his childhood dream of watching trains made by him and his colleagues running in his country.

Ivan, who was a part-time employee in a small diner, is now a maintenance director in the Chinese-investment company D&Y Textile in Johor.

Surveys show that Chinese companies in Malaysia provided training opportunities for around 19,000 employees over the past few years. Among them are engineers and even management staff who have all improved enormously and found new career opportunities. These training programmes will continue and expand, allowing more Malaysians to write their own success stories.

These tangible results and achievements have earned the BRI strong support from the Malaysian government and people, encouraging more to devote themselves to the China–Malaysia cooperation under its framework.

I’m glad the Pakatan Harapan government has openly voiced its support for the BRI many times since May 2018.

Dr Mahathir has praised the BRI as a valuable opportunity to connect the East and West, and to promote common development and prosperity in the region. The fact that this 93-year-old senior statesman has decided to travel to China again after his last visit in August further shows the strong political decision from Malaysia to contribute to the BRI cooperation.

I have high hopes for Dr Mahathir’s attendance in the Belt and Road Forum. I hope he and other political figures will provide the wisdom and vision to push the BRI to a higher level. I also hope he could exchange in-depth ideas with President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang on strengthening our future bilateral cooperation.

There is a classical Chinese poem that reads: “The rising tides have broadened the water, and a boat should raise the sail and catch the wind.” The Malaysian government is now committed to propelling the fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0) for rapid economic growth. In this regard, the high-quality production capacity, abundant funds, advanced technology and experiences from China could be just the wind it needs to blow its sail.

I also believe the BRI will blow a favourable wind to the 45-year China-Malaysia relationship, enhancing stability, mutual trust and prosperity for both countries.

BAI TIAN Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Malaysia