Mahathir eyes closer ties with China in automotive industry

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad expressed his hope for more cooperation with China in the automotive industry.

He spoke with China Daily on the sidelines of the Asia GT Festival 2019 on Sunday in Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur, the first China GT Championship race outside of China.

After touring around the Grand Tourer model of Chinese electric vehicle brand NIO, EP9, Mahathir praised China's car-making industry for its recent development. The car has broken a number of the speed records in various world-class circuits.

"Fantastic, the progress made by China in the automotive industry is very fast and very high," he said.

"We want to work with the Chinese government (in this industry)," Mahathir said.

Mahathir unveiled his strategy before his planned official visit to China to attend the Belt and Road Forum in April.

China-Malaysia relations have faced questions after Mahathir took power in 2018. Reviewing a number of massive construction projects, including a high-speed rail, a port city and a comprehensive residential project.

However, in a recent interview (with South China Morning Post) that if he has to take sides between the two global superpowers -- the United States and China, the Malaysian Prime Minister would prefer China for an economic rationale.

Malaysia's strong ties with China were not "static" over time or issues, he said in that interview.

Mahathir has shown a special ambition throughout his career in politics. In the 1980s, he oversaw the establishment of the nation's leading car manufacturer Proton as a joint venture between the Malaysian government and Mitsubishi.

The China GT Championship is a nationwide championship featuring the world's most premier automotive brands and is ratified by the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of People's Republic of China (CAMF), as well as authorized by the General Administration of Sports of China.

In 2018, China GT has attracted a dozen teams and 35 entries over the GT3, GTC and GT4 class, in addition to 388,000 spectators and 70 million TV/online viewers. In 2019, China GT will feature a total prize money of 9 million yuan.