Malaysia rebuttal reflects mistrust of China's 'Belt and Road' plan
Is Malaysia’s repudiation of China’s “unequal treaties” a sign of things to come?
Malaysia's abrupt cancellation of $3bn worth of China-backed pipeline projects represents probably the biggest knockback so far for President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative. This initiative has been bankrolling large-scale energy projects right across the region. Work on the pipelines was suspended in July, but the cancellations were announced in early September. They involve two oil and gas pipelines in mainland Malaysia and Borneo, and another linking the state of Malacca to a Petronas facility in Johor. The contracts had been signed under former prime minister Najib Razak, who is facing trial next year over corruption allegations. The new Malaysian government's show of independence
Also in this section
28 March 2024
The country’s largest gas field is a bright spot for the North Sea, boasting cleaner operations amid a changing mood in Europe over hydrocarbons
28 March 2024
Whether OPEC+ starts to unwind its oil production cuts from June will depend on heavily debated unfolding supply-demand balances
28 March 2024
As a gas supply shortfall looms, balancing regulatory flexibility with energy security and investor confidence will be critical
27 March 2024
Oil producers have to untangle the increasingly complicated relationship with their natural resources