The MoU is one of the highlights of the visit for Najib as he joins 27 other heads of state at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation which will be held in the Chinese capital on May 14 and 15.
“The Cabinet has given the green light to the ministry to sign this MoU with China’s National Development and Reform Committee,” Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters after yesterday’s cabinet meeting.
He added that basic infrastructure refers to ports, highways, railways and such.
Liow will be accompanying Najib, and is scheduled to have meetings with China’s Transport Minister Li Xiaopeng, as well as the head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, Song Tao.
The MCA president said the Barisan Nasional component and the Communist Party were cooperating closely on matters involving culture, education and cadre training, and was keen on extending it to the business front.
“MCA has led representatives from the business sector to participate in Belt and Road meetings in China previously, and the Communist Party has done the same for our forums here.
“We will discuss building a mutual platform to drive Belt and Road further,” Liow was quoted as saying by The Star.
Following the launch of the Digital Free Trade Zone and the appointment of Alibaba founder Jack Ma as digital economy adviser to Putrajaya, Liow said e-commerce was also an area that the government wished to emphasise in its talks with China.
The Belt and Road initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is aimed at building up the economic connectivity of 65 countries along its ancient silk road and maritime routes.