BILATERAL ties between China And Malaysia will withstand the current period of uncertainty, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told Daim Zainuddin in a meeting today.

With several multi-billion ringgit China-backed projects under review since the Pakatan Harapan government took over, Wang said relations between the two countries will not fray so easily.

“The friendship between China and Malaysia has accumulated over a long time. China and Malaysia are not only comprehensive strategic partners, but also pragmatic cooperation partners. Their relationship can weather the wind of change,” the South China Morning Post quoted him as saying.

The chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons is in China as a special envoy of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and to pave way for the latter’s official visit in August.

Daim had also earlier met Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and delivered to him a letter from Dr Mahathir.

No agreement has reportedly been reached about the suspended infrastructure projects in Malaysia but Wang told Daim that the two countries should increase cooperation regarding China’s One Belt One Road initiative.

The projects under review include the RM81 billion East Coast Rail Link and the Finance Ministry is also investigating whether a loan from a Chinese state bank had been used to bail out 1Malaysia Development Bhd. – July 18, 2018.