August 13, 2018

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will be seeking greater balance in economic ties between China and Malaysia when he visits Beijing this week, while both sides will be keen to remove any uncertainty in their relationship, diplomats and observers said.

Mahathir is expected to arrive in China on Friday and stay until August 21. It will be his first visit since he returned to power in May, and comes as Beijing remains locked in a trade war with the United States, and eager to win support from and strengthen ties with its neighbours.

But the decision by the new leader to review China-backed investment and projects in Malaysia as well as his outspoken attitude on South China Sea disputes have unnerved Beijing.

Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said Mahathir’s high-profile statements showed Malaysia was ready to be more vocal on South China Sea disputes, but unlikely to make any fundamental changes to its policy on the issue.

“China and Malaysia have a tacit understanding, so I believe Mahathir will not make any overly aggressive moves such as occupying the reef or conducting unilateral oil and gas exploration … at the cost of sacrificing overall China-Malaysia ties,” he said.

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https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2159512/can-malaysias-mahathir-mohamad-achieve-economic-balance