The Sultan of Johor and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar visited China to attract funding from investors for a high-speed rail project connecting Johor and Singapore.
His Majesty was invited by President Xi Jinping in his efforts to drive infrastructure boom throughout Asia and Africa and strengthen strategic relations for both countries.
Sultan Ibrahim's delegation including the representative of YTL Corp Bhd, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh who is a Malaysian company involved in the short list of the mega project showed a high interest in the involvement.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has long supported the railway network as a result of a proposal that was revived by the government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last year with the caveat that it would not be financed by tax collection.
Sultan Ibrahim became Malaysia's king in January under a unique royal succession in which nine hereditary monarchs rotate to serve for five years. He ruled the southernmost state of Johor, which is the state that borders Singapore.
Malaysia's Transport Minister, Anthony Loke confirmed that the government's policy is that the project is led by a consortium that is at least 51% owned by Malaysians.
The implementation of the railway aims to reduce the travel time between the two cities from 90 minutes to four hours by car.
The project is expected to cost as much as RM100 billion under the management of the federal government
