Malaysia supportive of Belt and Road Initiative: PM Najib
Xinhua, April 28, 2015 Adjust font size:
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said here Tuesday that his country is supportive of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China and will discuss the details with China on the implementation of the Initiative.
Najib made the remarks at a press conference following the conclusion of the 26th ASEAN Summit in Langkawi Monday night.
Chinese President Xi Jinping brought forward in 2013 the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which has attracted close attention from all over the world.
It is a great undertaking that will benefit people around the world. The belt and road Initiative is a systematic project, which should be jointly built through consultation to meet the interests of all, and efforts should be made to integrate the development strategies of the countries along the belt and road.
The Chinese government has drafted and published the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to promote the implementation of the Initiative, instill vigor and vitality into the ancient Silk Road, connect Asian, European and African countries more closely and promote mutually beneficial cooperation to a new high and in new forms.
Chinese ambassador to Brunei Yang Jiang told Xinhua in an interview that China and ASEAN are now consulting on upgrading their Free Trade Area, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is also under discussion among China, ASEAN and other partners.
"What is more important is that Southeast Asia is considered as one of the focal points in the Belt and Road initiative, with which we can find new areas of combination of China's development strategy and that of ASEAN countries".
With Southeast Asia being one of the focal points of the Belt and Road Initiative, she said, ASEAN countries are prioritized on the Maritime Silk Road and will be the beneficiary of early harvest.
Thanks to the hard work of both sides over the years, the China- ASEAN exchanges and cooperation are going deeper and further, laying a very good foundation. The Initiative will provide new areas of combination for the development strategies of China and ASEAN countries, presenting a broader prospect for future cooperation, the ambassador said. Endi