Beijing: Beijing Days and Road Initiative

beijing: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, second left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, according to The Toronto Star. Days before heading to Beijing, Mahathir was already saying Malaysia didn't need the projects, part of Xi's Belt and Road initiative. Mahathir told Malaysian reporters that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang understood the reasons behind the cancellations and accepted them. ROMAN PILIPEY / AFP/GETTY IMAGES The projects, comprising a 20 billion East Coast Rail Link and two energy pipelines worth 2.3 billion, had already been suspended pending renegotiation. While the projects could be restarted in the future if considered necessary, Malaysia's current focus is on reducing the national debt, he said. It's all about pouring in too much money which we cannot afford, we cannot repay and also because we don't need these projects for Malaysia at this moment, Mahathir said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.