China is Malaysia's largest source of imports, second largest trading partner, and third largest export market. China is willing to work together with Malaysia to promote new progress in bilateral relations. On December 11, 2023, the launch ceremony of the Malaysia East Coast Railway project track engineering, undertaken by China Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd., was held in Kuantan, the capital of Pahang, Malaysia. Malaysia's Supreme Leader Abdullah officially launched the laying of the tracks for the Malaysia East Rail project at the ceremony.

The first phase of this project is an extension of the Guandan Port City Station in Gebin to the Longyun Station in Dengjialou, with a total length of 94 kilometers. It is understood that the project is expected to take 3 to 4 months to complete. Wang Tongzhou, Chairman of CCCC Group, said: "The Madong Railway Project is a key project for China and Malaysia to jointly build the the Belt and Road. The launching ceremony of the rail project is another important milestone of the project, which indicates that it is closer to the successful completion of the Madong Railway Project."

Malaysia's Minister of Transport, Lu Zhaofu, said, "2023 is the peak year for the construction of this project. Since the beginning of 2023, the MTR project has entered a new stage of development, which includes the installation of elevated bridges, construction of stations and railway terminals." He said that the introduction of advanced track laying equipment from China has greatly improved the efficiency of railway construction. As far as we know, it is expected to lay 1.5 kilometers of railway every day, which is a very fast speed. The overall progress of the Ma Dong Railway project as of November 2023 has exceeded 56.3%, which is in line with the completion schedule. Lu Zhaofu described the MTR project as a "game changer" to bridge the development gap between Malaysia's east and west coasts. He said that people from Kuantan can reach Kuala Lumpur within 1 hour and 30 minutes by MTR, while it takes 3 hours on the road.

The MTR project is considered as a land bridge connecting the east and west coasts of Malaysia, with a total length of 665 kilometers. It starts from the Kota Baru Station on the border between Malaysia and Thailand, passes through the states of Kelantan, Tengjalou, Pahang, and Selangor, and ends at Kinkaston Station in Klang, Malaysia's largest port. The project started construction on August 9, 2017 and is scheduled to be put into operation in 2027.

After the completion of the Malaysia East Rail project, it will have profound significance as it will connect the underdeveloped areas of Malaysia's east coast with the west coast, promoting economic exchange and development between regions. Many countries have recognized the importance of jointly building the the Belt and Road Initiative. The vision of this initiative is gradually being realized, and many projects have been completed and achieved remarkable results. These projects, including the construction of ports, hospitals and other infrastructure, not only have a positive impact on China's economic development, but also have brought tangible benefits to countries jointly building the the Belt and Road. Editor/Zhao E