Evoking ancient mariner Zheng He, Chinese envoy says ECRL will bring fair trade to Malaysia

DUNGUN, July 25 — Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian today reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to fair trade and the mutual benefits to both countries in a friendship that can be traced back to the 15th century.

Bai said the ancient Chinese admiral Zheng He’s voyages to the Malay peninsula were renowned and were the start of an economic partnership that prospered the two civilisations compared to later-day foreign powers that were hostile to the local population.

“What Zheng He brought to the local Melaka people was not robbery, not colonisation, but the fair trade and barter trade by Chinese ceramic beauties with the local spices produced locally.

“The Zheng He story is still very much in the mind and even in textbooks of Chinese and Malaysia.

“It is well known that Zheng He is a symbol of China’s friendship to Malaysia. I think Zheng He shaped this positive perception of Malays vis-à-vis the Chinese,” Bai said in his speech at the relaunch of the East Coast Rail Link (ECLR) project here today.

The historical globe trekker was said to be a Muslim who was later made a court eunuch and gained fame as a naval commander during the Ming dynasty.

Malaysians would be more familiar with him as Laksamana Cheng Ho, as recorded in local history textbooks.

Bai also praise the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein for opening diplomatic ties with China, stating it was a “visionary act and a bold diplomatic move” amongst the Southeast Asian nation leaders.

Witnessing the relaunch of the ECRL project here today, Bai said the project is the largest economic and trade cooperation project between China and Malaysia.

“The re-launching of the project meets up the common aspiration of all the local people of all the states it passes through, and also meets up the aspirations of the Malaysians and Chinese people and will greatly beef up the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

Bai also said that the ECRL will be a” game-changer” for states that it traverse.

“Once the ECRL project is completed, it will generate for sure, great volumes of trade between the states which it connects and other states and also between the states connected with the overseas market,” he said.