Stronger Bond Between Malaysia and China
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on May 30, 2014 AFP/Jason Lee.
Dear friends around the world,
I have lived in Malaysia for a large part of my life and it is a beautiful country. The people of Malaysia are gentle, kind and harmonious in general and I have deep appreciation for their sincerity and generosity which has helped not just myself but also my monastery in India.
I also appreciate the inter-racial and inter-religious harmony that is a hallmark of Malaysian society. Some first-time visitors to Malaysia are surprised to learn that the beautiful Malays, Indians and Chinese get along so harmoniously. I must say that the founding fathers did an excellent job in laying the foundations for modern Malaysian society today.
And so, I am very happy to see this new partnership between Malaysia and China and I feel it is a big step forward for the Malaysian transportation industry. There will be people who rejoice and there will be people who don’t; nonetheless, China’s growing influence is undeniable. Over the years, China has gone from strength to strength and has overtaken the United States of America to become the world’s largest economy. Thus, the Malaysian government’s work in maintaining good ties with China is a good way forward and will pave the way for more large projects in the future that will benefit both countries.
I am happy for Malaysia that this relationship with a super power like China will benefit my host country. Malaysians like anyone else deserve a good economy and growth in our country. The more Malaysia strikes these deals, the better it will be for Malaysia. Malaysia boleh!
I offer my good wishes to my host country’s growth and general peace in the world.
Tsem Rinpoche
China Set to Build, Finance Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Line Project
Posted 31 Oct 2016 19:52 Updated 31 Oct 2016 20:00
BEIJING: China is set to build and finance the RM55 billion (US$13.1 billion) East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) project that will span four states in peninsular Malaysia, according to Malaysia’s secretary-general to the Treasury.
Dr Irwan Serigar Abdullah said Malaysia and China will sign the Framework Financing Agreement and Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) Contract for the project on Tuesday (Nov 1).
Dr Irwan spoke to Malaysian media upon arrival in Beijing on Monday as part of the delegation accompanying Prime Minister Najib Razak who is on a six-day visit to the Chinese capital.
He said the railway link will lower transportation costs between the west and east coasts of peninsular Malaysia, bring down prices of goods and reduce travelling time.
“It will also help create more jobs and business opportunities for Malaysians, especially the rural folks,” Dr Irwan said.
Although the agreement has not yet been finalised, Dr Irwan said the financing offered by China was a lower rate compared to the international market, coupled with a long repayment period of 20 years.
He said the project was crucial to Malaysia and should not be delayed as it would not only spur the country’s transportation industry development, but also help to speed up growth of small towns along the way.
The project would also assist in the transfer of technology in the railway industry, he said. “Future development of railways is the in thing, and Malaysia needs to make the move in getting the technology and new systems in railway construction,”he said.
Dr Irwan said the project will be built in phases: First from Port Klang to Dungun in Terengganu followed by Dungun to Tumpat.
PM Najib, in tabling the 2017 Budget, said the project would be launched in phases and would connect townships such as Port Klang, ITT (Integrated Transport Terminal) Gombak, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Baru and Tumpat.
The construction of the project is expected to start next year and it is due to be complete by 2022.
– Bernama/Agencies/am
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-set-to-build-finance-malaysia-s-east-coast-rail-line/3249656.html?cid=fbcna
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China, has made many nations in the world prosperous. They do not care about the customs and politics and will not meddle in local politics or affect the government they are collaborating with. They are mainly interested in doing business that will help them and the nation they are engaging with. African can be thought as showcase nations of China’s expansion of their influence on a global scale.
I heard about Chinese people not needed a visa to come to Malaysia, well here it is “Between March 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017, Chinese citizens do not require a visa for Malaysia for a stay of up to 15 days, online registration prior to arrival required” – Travel from China for Chinese citizens have just became that much easier.
This is good news and am very happy to hear. Hope it will bring a brighter future for Malaysia and the people here in the coming years. Thanks for sharing this good news Rinpoche.
Nice to China & Malaysia friendship tying more strongly. It will defiantly will help Malaysia to bring more investments from china and create more jobs and business opportunities. China an emerging superpower due to its large and stable population, its rapidly growing economy and military spending and capabilities and tradition. China influence continues to grow all over the world…
It is wonderful to see Malaysia and China have foster a good bilateral relationship for trade and transportation industry development. This project would assist in the transfer of technology in railway construction.
Since China has become the world’s largest economy,China growing influence is undeniable, many developing countries like the Pillipines and other Asean countries would like to be friends and have new partnerships with China too.
This is a good news to see 2 countries having a joint ventures in building the infrastructure of Malaysia. China has indeed grown so fast and even overtook United States of America. With the strong finance support, Malaysia would be able to build the important railway connecting the East and the West.
This investment will surely create a lot of positive outcome such as job opportunities, shorter traveling time, improve connectivity and transportation of East and West Malaysia.
I hope the relationship of both government will go stronger for more prosper and development ventures which will benefit both countries.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. China indeed has become a stronger country now in term of economy. The new partnership between Malaysia and China can really help the growth of Malaysia. The most important fact is, it benefits a lot of Malaysian, in terms of job opportunity, economy growth, which indirectly will help the current homeless folks issue. As many of the street clients are jobless, and some from other states are difficult to find job in KL.
First was the panda that China gifted to Malaysia government, now the ECRL project, Malaysia relationship with China will grow stronger and stronger. This will help Malaysia a big leap in economy. As a Malaysian, and a Chinese, I am happy that our government has such a good relationship with China. Thank you again Rinpoche _/\_
Seeing the handshake gives me a good feeling. It is better to engage rather than antagonise. That China has become the world’s biggest economy is something that cannot be denied. As Jack Ma recently said, the Chinese came to Malaya 200 years ago to survive, but today they come to Malaysia to enjoy life. China has made great strides since then, and at super speed.
It’s wiser to prosper thy neighbour because if they are happy, thou art happy. When we look at a neighbour with disdain and suspicion, then we have no peace and will live in fear.
Thank you Rinpoche for this article. It is indeed a good news for Malaysia that China will be building and funding the railway line of the east coast of Malaysia. Through this project, it will benefit the country because of the knowledge and transfer of technology from China to Malaysia. It will also benefit the citizens as it will create more job opportunities and can travel easier without much hassle.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Malaysia being a multi-racial and multi cultural thrive on its own diversity and all races and cultural live is relative peace and harmony.
The second largest race in Malaysia is the Chinese; usually third of fourth generation Chinese; whose contributions lends Malaysia its own unique identity. This perhaps why China find Malaysia such a good friend and a suitable place to invest. This, couple with the fact the Malaysia is the first in the region to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1974, makes Malaysia a favorite neighbor for China.
Certainly, this is good news for Malaysia, in this times of domestic and global economic slowdown. Bravo for for China and Malaysia.
I am working in China now and I am glad to see Malaysia government forged even stronger bond with super power country like China. I am in China witnessed China has super advanced transportation system such as Metro Train, Bus, even car park. I am truly impressed with that. ECRL project definitely will help to connect east to west coast.
I do hope that we also can take the opportunity to extend Buddhism to China which I think they need most now. They are financial rich but spiritual poor. I believe China can be stronger with spiritually rich. Buddhism can benefit more people through China.
Hi Soon Huat,
Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience since you are working in China now. Wow, you must share more! 🙂
I guess it is true and confirms what we heard about the new rich in China, that they are rich in the material world but poor in spiritual world. And the richer they get, the more unhappiness, emptiness, stress, depression sets it because true happiness and peace of mind cannot be bought unfortunately. And all that chasing after wealth will eventually drag you down as it is never ending desire, never satisfied.
It is good that you can experience this first hand. Who knows, perhaps you can start bringing/sharing Rinpoche’s teachings there. Who knows who you might end up meeting/sharing with. Start with the simpler basic topics and ones that may appeal to their mindset. There are so many topics to choose from this blog so do explore all the various categories. I’m sure you will find lots to share. Again good to see your comments here 🙂
Thank You Joy. I will definitely read nmore article from Guru’s blog; it contains all the teaching from Guru. As a student, it is minimum homework we need to do.
The stronger bond between Malaysia and China will definitely bring in more investment to different sectors in Malaysia. There are commitments to enhance cooperation in various areas including seaports, air transport, railway, trade, manufacturing, etc. Take railway (ECRL) for example, when the infrastructure is in place with financing and technology transfer received from China, small towns along the way will have tremendous development and tourism will boost up too.
There is also the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), formerly known as One Belt One Road, where China to provide ASEAN member states, to connect Europe, Middle East, Africa and the rest of Asia to accelerate the flow of goods and capital from each of those places. China Southern Airlines had launched its first direct flight from Guangdong to Melaka in September this year. Melaka government also initiated a project to bring in China investments to build a deep sea port in Melaka. All these are exciting news to Malaysia, especially Melaka, expecting the significant opportunities and potential for growth in this country, and better bilateral relationship with China too.
It is in Malaysia interest to foster a stronger bond with China for all the following reasons that will propel the economy of the world into the next decades. China is now the world’s largest economy. Mandarin is taught in schools right across the world. A new Silk Road is underway for international trade, made up of roads, high-speed railway lines, bridges and airport hubs, stretches from Shanghai and Beijing through Xinjiang to Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Afghanistan before making its way to Western Europe. On the other hand, what Malaysia has to offer seemed a pin drop in the ocean. It is a smart decision from our leadership to build this relationship now. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article with us.
Fostering closer ties with China is the only reasonable way to move forward this century. Economically, China’s influence continues to grow, and by having stronger peaceful connections we can start to see more peace in the South China Sea. I personally don’t agree with some policies China has done internally, but externally the sleeping dragon has awoken and we can see this country’s influence becoming centre stage among world powers.
It looks like China is everywhere and there is really no stopping them and everyone seems to be wanting a piece of that pie too! It is inevitable, everything we own these days are almost always “made in China”. You cannot avoid it even if you want to, so I guess might as well embrace it and see the positives and work with it. And I’m glad Malaysia is smart enough to see this and to shape the future with the strongest super power nation in the world right now.
They’ve come a long way and they’ve worked really hard to reach this place. I remembered hearing this prediction a long time ago that China will rise once again to be a strong force in the world, and this has certainly come true. I know many people do not like China because of their human rights issues and the people’s behaviour can be a huge turn off, but hopefully from being a super power they will take on more responsibilities and improve in these areas.
Making friends with China is certainly the way to go for the future at this moment. It is time for China and Asians to rise now.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this good news with us. It is definitely is a good move to have close relationship with China because it will eventually benefits both countries , for a country like Malaysia to grow we need mega project then it will create more jobs opportunities for the people and the general businesses to grow, China being a big player in the market now it is for sure it will help for the grow of south east Asia country like Malaysia , Thailand, etc.
China is building a huge project “the Belt and Road” which connects many countries and cities by roads/rails. From an economy point of view, China saw the opportunity, and went 100% on it. This is a huge project and I really salute the determination to make it work.
Therefore, many of the projects like the rail projects in Malaysia, they are willing to lend the money to Malaysia and let Malaysia build the rails, with conditions that China has the rights to use them. As it is, there are already many China companies operate in Malaysia, and there is even a Xiamen University in Malaysia to cater for the second generation of China expats who works in Malaysia.
I personally hope China’s “the Belt and Road” project a success as it really bring a balance to the power from west, and of course it can really bring economical benefits to Malaysia.
It is good that Malaysia has forged a stronger bond with China and is set to receive China’s aid in economic development. China is a world superpower -indeed it is now the world’s largest economy – who is making heavy inroads into developing countries everywhere to give economic aid and to engage in mega projects to uplift these countries’ economies.
The Chinese and Malaysian leaders have met and forged stronger ties with each other. This augurs well for Malaysia. The first fruits of that meeting are seen in the recent announcement that China is going to engage in a mega project to build and finance (in a relatively easy loan payment scheme)the RM55 billion (US$13.1 billion) East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) project that will span four states in peninsular Malaysia. When this proposed project is completed, it will open up the relatively undeveloped East Coast states ( with its sprinkling of small towns)to economic development and progress. The proposed railway system will directly link up the big towns on the East Coast to Port KLang and pave the way for the export industry to open up in the East Coast States.
A good and comprehensive transport network , such as the proposed railway system, is vital to our country’s overall development.
In today’s newspapers, there is a lot of information regarding the super-mega deals between China and Malaysia worth RM143.64 billion. One of the deals is the railway project, mentioned in this article, which will make the east coast more competitive and benefit the industries and businesses along the route. Other projects include the purchase of 4 combat ships by the Malaysian Navy (2 will be built in China and 2 in Malaysia), the construction of Melaka Gateway, a mega development project in Malacca which involves building a deep sea port. China is clearly the new global leader as it continues to help developing countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
This is extremely good news for all Malaysians. Railways have always been the life line of many nations in the world as a form of cheaper transportation, people and carry goods to the right destinations hence improved trade even within the country or to deliver out of the country to ports along coastal areas. Many livelihood will be changed and improved when this ECRL is built.
As Rinpoche said,”Malysia people are gentle, kind and harmonious. He admired their sincerity and generosity. They have not only help him but his Monastery in India too. “Malaysian racial and inter-religious harmony are said to be a Hallmark of Malaysian society too”, said our Rinpoche! Yes, it seems this has been almost an every first-time visitor’s greateat admiration in their visit. China today has become the World’s largest economy, proofing it has gone from strength to strength, and any country today maintaining good ties and relationship with China proves a good wayforward for more larger projects to come in the future; and that,is exactly what wisdomised Tun Najib, Malaysia’s premier is doing for lucky Malaysia. It will certainly benefit Malaysia in its future growth, Viva-la, the Prime Minister of Malaysia!
China have come a long way from being a nation distraught by opiums and the culture revolution to become a global economic powerhouse overtaking U.S. i am very pleased to see this happening actually not because of my roots but it shows despite all the tough times China had to endure over the past decade, colonised by 7 countries at least and survived World War 2, to now a leading business partner for everyone in the world. Martin is right, there are issues surrounding Tibetan Buddhism etc but look at Tibet now. It is flourishing and brought so much development into Tibet like never before and seeing Tibets living in prosperity in a country oozing with potential. I can’t help to admire what had China contributed and wonder if the same can be achieved had China did not reclaim Tibet.
This is very good news for Malaysians and something for all to rejoice in. But in recent years and especially for practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism, it has become forbidden to celebrate China’s success lest one becomes accused by fans of the Dalai Lama to be a traitor and enemy of the Tibetan people.
The prevailing pressure on Tibetan Buddhists is to ‘dislike’China for its alleged less than sterling human rights record. Frankly, I cannot comment very much on this because I have often wondered how much of what we read are in fact over-cranked propaganda.
I do know that if we are to judge a country by its human rights history then we should have already condemned quite a list of the countries that constitute the ‘West’who were once behind very ruthless colonization programs.
It was the West, not China that brutally took over countless nations, destroyed their culture, tradition and religion and took sons and daughters of the vanquished countries as slaves. It was the West that introduced opium into China as a weapon to weaken the people so that they are rendered incapable of defending their home from the annexation of the white man.
Therefore I wouldn’t dare judge. Instead I am happy that Malaysia is developing a good relationship with China and many generations of Malaysians will benefit as the result.