PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s five-day visit to China beginning today will strengthen the long-standing friendship and foster wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries, said the Foreign Ministry, Wisma Putra.
In a statement, it said Dr Mahathir will lead a delegation to the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (2nd BRF) in Beijing.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and several ministers including Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking.
At the 2nd BRF, Dr Mahathir has been invited to share his views during the High-Level Meeting and Leaders’ Roundtable on the theme, ‘Strengthening Policy Synergy and Building Closer Partnership’.
Wisma Putra said Dr Mahathir’s attendance at the 2nd BRF is significant given that Malaysia has continuously supported the Belt and Road Initiative, especially on key development issues such as policy synergy, infrastructure development, financial cooperation and people-to-people connectivity.
The forum, with the theme ‘Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future’, will see the participation of 37 world leaders including Dr Mahathir.
Wisma Putra said Dr Mahathir will also meet China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, and they are expected to discuss various bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Premier Li and Dr Mahathir will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the palm oil sector.
Apart from the official programme, Wisma Putra said, Dr Mahathir will also visit some high-tech companies in Beijing, namely Huawei Technologies and SenseTime Private Ltd.
Dr Mahathir is also scheduled to meet key investors, international capital market analysts as well as members of the renowned business community based in Beijing. — Bernama
