CHONGQING: Malaysia is willing to support and cooperate in the construction of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road being initiated by China, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

“Malaysia believes that the new silk road and the Trans-Asian Railway will be instrumental in expanding the economy in Asia,” he said, adding that he had recently conveyed the same to Chinese Transport Minister Yang Chuan Tang.

Speaking at the welcoming dinner of the Sixth World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF) here last night, Liow said the new maritime silk road would present new opportunities to many countries.

“We can discover and explore how best to participate in the new maritime silk road in this forum.”

Liow said Malaysia also welcomed China’s support in the country’s development, especially in the field of sea, land and air transportation.

“China possesses world-class technology in building bridges, ports, high-speed rail and other train equipment. We hope China will share the relevant technical expertise and operational experience with us,” he said.

Maintaining that Malaysia could become China’s most trustworthy friend and partner among the Asean countries, Liow said Malaysia placed great importance on moving bilateral trade with China to greater heights.

He expressed hope that the forum would be a platform to attract more Chinese investors to Malaysia to narrow the current investment imbalance.

“The current ratio between Chinese investment in Malaysia and Malaysian investment in China is one to six. We welcome Chinese enterprises to invest in high-value added and knowledge-intensive projects, and other service-oriented projects in Malaysia.

“Be it the construction of the Trans-Asian Railway or the free trade zones or ports in Malaysia, our government will give high priority and extend our cooperation to Chinese investors,” he said.



