‘NICE CHINESE’ HAMPER MALAYSIAN HARD BARGAINING OVER US$20 BILLION EAST COAST RAIL LINK It’s ‘difficult to make hard decisions’ on controversial US$20 billion East Coast Rail Link project, Malaysian finance minister says, because the negotiators are so ‘cooperative … not like those arrogant superpowers’
BY BHAVAN JAIPRAGAS
13 SEP 2018
Malaysia may hope to drive a hard bargain as it reviews the terms of a controversial Beijing-backed US$20 billion rail project, but it’s finding it tricky because Chinese negotiators are “so nice” and professional, Malaysian finance minister Lim Guan Eng said on Thursday.
“They have been very understanding and cooperative and we want to record our appreciation. And they have behaved really professionally and not like those, what do you call, arrogant superpowers,” Lim said on the sidelines of the CLSA Investors’ Forum in Hong Kong.
“We are very appreciative of the Chinese attitude, very positive. When they are so understanding and positive, sometimes it is so difficult to make hard decisions when the other side is so nice.”
The comments are the latest from the country’s newly minted administration to reassure Chinese investors that bilateral ties are healthy, despite the axing of major projects involving mainland Chinese companies.
Addressing the same forum, Anwar Ibrahim, the reformist icon who will succeed Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, offered similar reassurances.
Anwar repeated the government’s mantra that its rethink of the infrastructure projects was aimed only at reducing ballooning national debt, and not at slighting Beijing.
There has been rising speculation that while China has publicly accepted this reasoning, it may be quietly seething – especially after Malaysia this week cancelled US$2.3 billion worth of Chinese-backed pipeline projects. Lim firmly denied there was any bad feeling.
He said the US$20 billion East Coast Rail Link to be built by China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) remained under negotiation – with both governments involved in the talks.
Mahathir believes the project as it stands is too expensive and not commercially viable.
After his visit to Beijing in August, Mahathir said China’s top leaders had given their assent for talks to cancel the project.
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Posted by Daily8 > 2018-09-11 16:27 | Report Abuse
you throw, they collect