Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to be greeted like ‘old friend’ in Beijing despite suspension of major projects
Mahathir has emphasised his decision to suspend infrastructure deals involving Chinese companies was based purely on economic factors but some commentators have speculated there may be a broader strategy of maintaining diplomatic distance from Beijing
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will be welcomed as an “old friend” of China when he visits President Xi Jinping next month, according to Daim Zainuddin, the 93-year-old leader’s special envoy to Beijing.
The two governments have accelerated preparatory work for the highly anticipated meeting. Guo Yezhou, a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party, met Mahathir on Sunday, ahead of a scheduled visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday. Mahathir is due to visit the Chinese capital in August, although the dates of his visit have yet to be finalised.
High-level talks between diplomatic officials from both sides have been underway in Malaysia since Friday, before Wang’s visit en route to a meeting of regional foreign ministers in Singapore.
Daim’s comments were the latest sign Mahathir’s new government is eager to dispel the perception its decision to suspend some US$23 billion of China-linked infrastructure projects reflects a policy of hostility towards China.
Daim, head of a Mahathir-appointed Council of Eminent Persons, was dispatched to Beijing earlier this month to renegotiate deals which the premier deemed too expensive and lopsided.
“I was sent by my prime minister and I reported back to him,” Daim said. “I can only say that we had very good discussions and will continue enhancing this relationship for mutual benefit.”
He was responding to emailed questions about his Beijing visit, where he met Wang and Premier Li Keqiang.
Daim, 80, served as Mahathir’s finance minister during his first stint as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. He said the Chinese “discussed with me what they want to achieve during [Mahathir’s] visit and I have conveyed this to my prime minister”.
