MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Thursday that he would strengthen bilateral relations with China in his upcoming visit to the country, citing the historical bond between the two countries and close cooperation during his previous 22 years in office.

In an interview with Xinhua ahead of his visit starting from Friday, Mahathir said the relationship with China was “very important” and he wanted to further strengthen the relations between China and Malaysia by this visit.

“Of course to learn about the Chinese programs or plans for Southeast Asia, including Malaysia,” he said.

Mahathir, during his first stint as the prime minister from 1981 to 2003, had visited China multiple times. But this will be his first official visit to China since he assumed office in May.

“During my 22 years of tenure as prime minister, I pushed for close relations with China,” he said.

The 93-year-old prime minister made a political comeback in May after leading the opposition coalition of Pakatan Harapan to win the general election.

He said the new government certainly wanted “close relations” with China and would look for China’s support for the recovery of Malaysian finances.

He said his view on China remained unchanged and he believed the two countries would solve the differences amicably.

The prime minister said his government welcomed foreign investment, primarily those that could “bring in capital, technologies” and set up plants to produce goods for the domestic market or for export.

Malaysia needed foreign investment in the area of new technologies and manufacturing to increase employment opportunities especially among university graduates, he said.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and some other Chinese technology companies are increasing their presence in Malaysia, bringing in know-how like mobile payment systems and e-wallet services.

Describing China’s development in the past several decades as “something of a miracle,” Mahathir said China had developed into “the center of manufacturing for the whole world.”

“They have been able to acquire or develop their own technologies which is at par with the technologies available in other parts of the world,” he said. “They have even gone so far as being able to put man in space, that is a remarkable achievement because it was done in very quick time.”

In the meantime, Malaysia has benefited from China’s development, the prime minister said.

“China’s growth is very welcome to us, because it means that Chinese are richer. Malaysia is a trading nation, and we like to have our partners rich,” he noted.

“China’s consumption will need supplies from outside, and Malaysia can provide some of the needs for the new rich people in China,” he added.

Mahathir, who had on several occasions stated his support for the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative since assuming office, told Xinhua that he had suggested building a special railway between China and Europe along the ancient Silk Road.

“China needs the world as its market. China also needs to have imports from the rest of the world,” he said. (Xinhua)