BEIJING, Sept 18 (Askume) – Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim will visit China on Thursday, the first visit by a Malaysian monarch in a decade. Interoperability project support.
The ceremonial ruler of the southern state of Johor will be accompanied by Malaysia’s transport and housing ministers, Malaysia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said: “His Majesty’s visit provides an excellent opportunity for both sides to reaffirm their mutual commitment and ensure that Malaysia-China relations remain visionary, dynamic and prosperous.”
Sultan Ibrahim was named the country’s 17th king in January under a unique monarchy in which the heads of Malaysia’s nine royal families ascend the throne every five years and are considered above politics.
But the 65-year-old has said he intends to stay involved in the country’s political issues and proposed in media interviews before taking the throne that Malaysia’s state-owned oil company Petronas and the country’s anti-corruption agency report directly to the king.
The King of Malaysia last visited China in 2014.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry said Ibrahim would also meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
Li Keqiang visited Kuala Lumpur in June and backed Malaysia’s plan to develop connectivity with other China-backed rail projects in Laos and Thailand through a $10 billion rail line .
Lee said the move would help realise the proposed Trans-Asian Railway from Kunming in China to Singapore, which would likely pass through Johor state, where the outspoken sultan also wants to develop rail lines.
Ibrahim discussed plans to revive the stalled high-speed rail project between Malaysia and Singapore at Forest City, a $100 billion joint venture backed by China’s Country Garden (2007.HK) and a private Malaysian company.
Data compiled by the American Enterprise Institute think tank shows Chinese companies have invested a total of US$26 billion in Malaysia since 2010, while the beleaguered Chinese developer has invested just US$110 million, mostly in the metals, energy and transport sectors.
Earlier this month, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said China had issued a protest note to stop Malaysia’s oil exploration activities in the South China Sea , but stressed the two countries would continue to communicate on the issue and their commercial ties remained the focus.
According to historical maps, China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Vietnam. In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal said China’s claims have no basis in international law, but Beijing did not recognize the verdict.
