The Edge Markets (25/04/2019) - BEIJING: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah touched down in Beijing yesterday evening to kick off his five-day official visit to China today — his second trip in less than a year since his previous visit last August.

This is Dr Mahathir’s ninth official visit to the mainland since he became the prime minister the first time in 1981.

Many are hopeful that the prime minister will bring the bilateral relationship, which was rather tensed six months back, closer again.

Dr Mahathir has credited Malaysia’s second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak for initiating the diplomatic ties between the two countries in the 1970s. However, Dr Mahathir is the one who has deepened the relationship between the two countries.

The revival of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and Bandar Malaysia has set a positive tone. The ECRL and the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) form a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative as China’s intention is to build the connectivity among countries across Asia through railway infrastructure.

However, the HSR, which initially planned to have a station in the Bandar Malaysia project, has been shelved indefinitely. It is worth noting that China Railway Engineering Corp was said to be keen on the massive real estate development in Bandar Malaysia mainly because building the HSR was part of the plan. The state-owned enterprise once said the HSR should be built even without a stop in Singapore.

The HSR project could hog the limelight here given that Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is also in Beijing to meet the Chinese leader.

The prime minister is here on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the second Belt & Road Forum that starts tomorrow. Leaders from 36 countries will gather at Yanqi Lake, 60km from the capital, for a roundtable dialogue based on the theme, “Strengthening Policy Synergy and Building Closer Partnership”.

Dr Mahathir’s entourage this time is joined by Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub and Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.

As is typical of him, the 93-year-old leader has a packed schedule ahead of him. There are no golfing sessions or sightseeing activities planned.

Dr Mahathir will start the trip with a visit to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the China-based telecommunications giant that caught the world’s attention when its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested last December. Charged with bank and wire fraud to violate US sanctions against Iran, Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested by Canada at the request of the US government after the latter deemed her and Huawei a national security threat.

The prime minister will also visit SenseTime Private Ltd, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence in China, Dr Mahathir’s keen interest in the technological advances that the world’s second-largest economy, China, has achieved in recent years.

But the highlights of Dr Mahathir’s visit here will be the meetings with Xi at the Great Hall of China  and Premier Li Keqiang at Diaoyutai State Guest House today. The selection of venues for his reception indicate that the hosts consider Dr Mahathir’s status as a highly respected honourable guest.

At the meetings, both sides are expected to discuss various bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interests, according to Nuryante Mohd Yazid, chargé d’affaires ad interim at the Malaysian embassy in China.

Dr Mahathir and Li will also witness the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) here. The first will be on enhancing palm oil trade and cooperation, while the second is related to enhancing cooperation in the development of industrial parks, infrastructure, logistics hub and transit-oriented developments in pursuant to the ECRL project, said Nuryante.

She added that the signing of the first MoU will be between the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuff, Native Products and Animal By-products), while the second one will be between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority and China Communication Construction Company Ltd.

On his third day in Beijing, Dr Mahathir will attend a special programme with Proton Holdings Bhd, where he will witness the exchange of documents between the national car manufacturer and advanced companies in China.

Before Dr Mahathir heads home on Sunday, he is also scheduled to meet key investors, international capital market analysts as well as representatives of the renowned business community based in Beijing.

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