HSR: China-M'sia consortium on the table after Agong meets Xi, Nga says

A consortium of Chinese and Malaysian companies to develop the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project is on the table, following talks between Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This was revealed by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who was part of the king’s entourage to China last week.

According to a report by Sin Chew Daily last Friday, Nga said Xi had expressed strong interest in China’s participation in the HSR project.

Asked whether this includes financing from China, the minister reportedly replied that tie-ups between China state-owned, party-owned, or private enterprises with Malaysian private firms are a possibility.

He said if such companies have the financial strength to undertake the HSR project, both Beijing and Putrajaya would welcome such a consortium.

Further details, he said, would be discussed between the Transport Ministry and the Chinese government.

Nga also said there were aspirations for the HSR to one day connect all the way to Kunming, China, and create a “new Silk Road”.

Previously a Bloomberg report citing sources claimed that Sultan Ibrahim was seeking investors for the HSR project during his trip to China.

Agong’s desire to revive project

The king, who is also the ruler of Johor, has expressed a strong desire to see the stalled project become a reality, with a realignment to pass through the Forest City project which he also has a stake in.

The KL-Singapore HSR bilateral agreement was signed in 2016.

Construction was suspended in September 2018 under the Pakatan Harapan government, which sought extensions up to the end of 2020.

Then in 2021, the Muhyiddin Yassin administration - which took over in March 2020 - officially axed the deal with Singapore after negotiations during the Covid-19 pandemic fell through.

The Madani coalition’s position is to have the HSR be a privately financed project with no financial burden on Putrajaya.

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