No changes have been made to the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project so far, said China’s ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian.

He said the project had started smoothly, with its main contractor, China Communications Construction Company Ltd working closely with its owner, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd.

“As far as I know, there are no changes in ECRL project," he told a press conference after visiting the second cub of the giant panda couple, Xing Xing and Liang Liang at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur today.

The Pakatan Harapan government has vowed to review all foreign megaprojects to help reduce the nation’s expenditure as well as debts.

One of those projects could be the 688km ECRL linking Port Klang and Kota Bharu, which has an estimated cost of RM55 billion and is slated for completion in 2024.

Bai said when he called on Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday, the prime minister assured him of wider prospects for cooperation between Malaysia and China.

"We feel that Malaysia’s new government has placed importance on Malaysia-China relationship and there are many possibilities.

“We are confident that Malaysia and China will have greater development," he said, adding that Malaysia-China ties would continue to flourish under the new government.

Bai said both China and Malaysia have enjoyed good bilateral relations over the past 44 years, including 22 years when Dr Mahathir was the prime minister before (1998–2003).

He said the good ties would continue to be maintained regardless of changes in both countries or globally.

- Bernama