PM: Centre to make it easier for foreign investors to trade in M’sia
BEIJING: A one-stop centre will be set up in Malaysia to make it easier for foreign investors to trade in the country, says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said at present, foreign investors have to run around to different government departments to apply for various permits or approvals, which they found troublesome and time-consuming.
He said this was among the problems brought up to him by Chinese investors in Malaysia during his discussions with them here.
“I met the investors and many of them are in the high-technology industry.
“(After hearing their problems), there should be a one-stop centre where they can get all the papers done,” Dr Mahathir said yesterday at the end of his five-day working trip here.
During his trip, Dr Mahathir visited the world’s biggest telco equipment maker Huawei and SenseTime, a firm specialising in artificial intelligence technology, to discuss how advance technology can help the country progress.
Asked if Malaysia would cooperate with Huawei, he said it could be possible.
To a question if the cost for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) could be dropped further, Dr Mahathir said it was possible if the scope of work was reduced.
The construction cost for ECRL has been brought down from RM66bil to RM44bil due to the realignment of the route and other factors.
On top of these, he said the original cost was also “overpriced”.
Dr Mahathir also said that the government would reveal the ECRL agreement to the people.
“In fact, we have revealed a lot,” he added.
Asked when the RM1bil would be refunded to Malaysia, he asked the media to check with Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
The money was part of the RM3.1bil advance payment made to the project concession China Communications Construction Company.
Source : TheStar
