BEIJING: Several Chinese banks have expressed interest in issuing Panda bonds to help Malaysia out of its financial woes.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is in China on his first working visit there, met with his Chinese counterpart Liu Kun along with senior management of several banks over the matter.

They include representatives from China Development Bank, China Construction Bank and The People's Bank Of China.

"All of them are interested in issuing the bonds. There are still many details to be discussed, such as pricing and the terms and conditions offered by the banks," Lim said here Tuesday (July 2).

Lim, however, refused to reveal the amount of bonds, saying it has to be discussed at the Cabinet meeting first.

Earlier, at a luncheon with Chinese investors here, Lim said Malaysia and China were planning to set up a "special channel" for investors of both countries to boost bilateral investments.

The channel would enable smoother investment process and eventually encouraged more investments from businessmen of both sides, he said.

“We hoped to see more investments, Malaysians to invest in China and the Chinese to invest in Malaysia," he added.

Lim said this special channel would serve as an inquiry and problem-solving platform.

"This will strengthen the business ties of both countries towards a win-win situation," he added.

Lim arrived here on Sunday (June 30) for his first visit to China as the Finance Minister.

He left for Shanghai on Tuesday (July 2) night.

While in the financial hub, he is expected to attend dialogues with Chinese investors before leaving for Shenzhen, which is China's innovation and technology hub.

In this southern city known as China's Silicon Valley, Lim is scheduled to visit several high-technology companies including Huawei and Internet-technology giant Tencent, which developed WeChat, to seek opportunities in developing Malaysia's digital economy and robotic technology.