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By Awaina Arbee and Hidayatul Akmal Ahmad - May 14, 2018 @ 1:35pm

KUALA LUMPUR: The government should review the mega projects between Malaysia and China to safeguard the interests of the people.

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, said this was imperative because the mega projects only gave importance to China.

“This shows that we have not looked into the importance of domestic economy but have given way to China only.

“For example, the Forest City and Bandar Malaysia projects are clearly inaccessible to the local people,” he told reporters at the International Conference on Malay World - China Civilisation, today.

He said, at present, China’s investments into Malaysia was estimated at US$162 billion.

“China has arbitrarily built airports and ports in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

“However, we in Asean are seen as still silent to maintain the country’s interest in Southeast Asia over the South China Sea,” he said.

In this regard, he proposed to hold a China-Malaysia research council on various aspects including cultural, economy, security and diplomacy.

“We must create a clear understanding especially in terms of trade and safety freedom in the South China Sea.

“We also need to use China’s good services to provide some research facilities for local universities,” he said.

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