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Malaysia's sultan to check out China, eyes facilities assistance

Malaysia's Sultan Ibrahim will visit China for a fourday visit, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, with the ceremonial ruler from the southern state of Johor most likely to seek assistance to revive jobs improving its connectivity to neighbouring Singapore.

Sultan Ibrahim was installed as the country's 17th king in January, under a special system of monarchy where the heads of Malaysia's 9 royal families take turns to be the king every 5 years, and are expected to stay above politics.

However the 65 year-old has actually suggested he means to

weigh in on the nation's political issues

, and proposed Malaysia's state oil company Petroliam Nasional and the country's anti-corruption agency report directly to the king throughout an interview with Singapore's Strait Times paper ahead of his installation.

He has been invited by President Xi Jinping and will go to China from Sept. 19-22, the foreign ministry said in a. declaration, giving no more details.

China's second-ranking authorities, Premier Li Qiang,. checked out Kuala Lumpur in June and backed Malaysian plans to

develop its connection

through a $10-billion East Coast Rail link to other. China-backed railways tasks in Laos and Thailand.

Li said that the proposal would realise plans for a. proposed Pan-Asia Railway ranging from Kunming in China to. Singapore, probably through Johor, which is where Ibrahim. wishes to develop a rail link, too.

Ibrahim has actually mentioned strategies to restore a stalled. high-speed rail job between Malaysia and Singapore, with a. border crossing in Forest City, a $100-billion China-backed land. reclamation and development task off Johor that he has a. stake in.

(source: Reuters)