China signals Belt and Road shift with Malaysia rail project

Malaysia has renegotiated a major rail project with China to reduce the cost of construction by a third and increase the level of local government, signaling a shift in China’s approach to its six-year-old belt and road initiative.

Nine months of protracted negotiations over the east coast rail link following last May’s historic change in government resulted in a mutually beneficial agreement for both China and Malaysia.

The original agreement was negotiated and signed in 2016.