Malaysia’s finance minister said a “drastic” cost reduction would be required before the country moves forward on a major rail link with Thailand, a sign the new government of Mahathir Mohamad is making good on promises to review China-backed projects.
The East Coast Rail Link, which would connect the country’s less-developed east coast to southern Thailand and the capital, Kuala Lumpur, was set to be developed by China Communication Construction Company.
“We expect that the ECRL project will only become financially and economically feasible if there is a drastic price reduction of the project by CCCC,” Malaysia finance minister Lim Guan Eng said.