BEIJING: Kuala Lumpur will go all out to forge better ties with Beijing as this would bring mutual benefits for both sides, says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
According to Bernama, he said focusing on economic development rather than confrontation should be the way forward to foster better relations between Malaysia and China.
In this regard, Chinese businessmen were welcome to invest in Malaysia, he said when addressing some 400 top Chinese entrepreneurs and business leaders here yesterday at the China Entrepreneur Leaders Forum.
Dr Mahathir stressed that Malaysia was not against any Chinese company, but the practice of borrowing huge sums of money to carry out unnecessary projects.
He noted that Malaysia had had a relationship with China for almost 2,000 years.
“Today, China’s trade with Malaysia is the biggest compared with other countries in the region.
“There was a time when China was very poor, but now China is rich. Even at a time when it was poor, it was a market for Malaysia, but now that it is rich we feel that China is a big market,” he said.
The China Entrepreneur Club, which organised the forum, consists of the republic’s top 60 entrepreneurs whose companies posted revenue totalling US$600bil (RM2.5 trillion) last year. Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, who is the club’s chairman, moderated the forum.
Dr Mahathir said problems between both countries should be solved not through confrontation, but negotiation, arbitration and the court of law.
“That’s the way we should go,” he said, adding that confrontation would not help build their economies.
The Prime Minister said both countries could complement each other, especially in the economic field, for the benefit of their people.
He also touched on how China’s development came about, which led to its emergence as a major producer of goods and services for the world.
In calling for the country’s business community to invest in Malaysia, he said this would help Malaysia become a producer country instead of merely a consumer country.
Answering a question from the floor, the Prime Minister underscored that the new government under his leadership would not allow corruption in the Malaysian business environment.
He said this in response to a claim from a Chinese businessman that he previously had to make a certain amount of payment in order to conduct business in Malaysia.
“I give you all the assurance that this new government will not allow that to happen,” he added. — Bernama
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