Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s five-day visit to China, which begins today, will strengthen the long-standing friendship and foster wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries, said the Foreign Ministry. 

In a statement today, Wisma Putra said Mahathir will lead the delegation to the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRFIC) in Beijing.

The prime minister will be accompanied by his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and several ministers, including Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking.

At the BRFIC, Mahathir will share his views during the high-level meeting and leaders’ roundtable on the theme 'Strengthening policy synergy and building Closer Partnership”.

Wisma Putra said Mahathir's attendance at the BRFIC is significant, given that Malaysia has continuously supported the Belt and Road Initiative, especially on key development issues such as policy synergy, infrastructure development, financial cooperation and people-to-people connectivity.

The forum, with the theme 'Belt and Road cooperation: Shaping a brighter shared future', will see the participation of 37 world leaders, including Mahathir.

Wisma Putra said Mahathir will also meet China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, and they are expected to discuss various bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Li and Mahathir will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the palm oil sector.

Apart from the official programme, Wisma Putra said, Mahathir will also visit some high-tech companies in Beijing, namely Huawei Technologies and SenseTime Private Ltd.

Mahathir is also scheduled to meet key investors, international capital market analysts, as well as members of the business community based in Beijing.

- Bernama