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China's "Belt and Road" initiative presents new opportunities to ASEAN: Malaysian official

Xinhua, December 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said here Tuesday that China's "Belt and Road"initiative presents new opportunities to many countries especially ASEAN, while Malaysia enjoys an incomparable advantage in grasping them.

A forum themed "Enhancing the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road thorough Malaysia"was held here by Malaysia's Port Klang Authority, with the aim to demonstrate the opportunities offered by China's"Belt and Road"initiative.

During his opening address, Liow said that China's"Belt and Road"initiative is a development strategy and framework focusing on connectivity and cooperation among countries, whose objective is to increase investment and foster collaboration on the historic Silk Road.

"Malaysia is an important strategic country along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road as we are situated in the center of Southeast Asia as well as positioned along the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest trade routes in the world,"he said, adding that this gives Malaysia an incomparable advantage in bringing to reality the vision of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Liow said that China is expected to open up the ASEAN route of the Trans-Asian railway in order to link up Southeast Asian countries as well as to allow goods to be sent in both directions: east to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and other places; west to reach Central Asia.

"The Malaysian government believes that the new maritime silk road and the Trans-Asian railway will be instrumental in expanding the economy and would present new opportunities to many countries especially ASEAN," he added.

More than 350 delegates from various countries including China, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand representing authorities and agencies from international shipping communities participated in the forum. A panel of specialists and experts also presented their views in various themes on the "Belt and Road" initiative.