Dr M to meet President Xi during Beijing trip next month

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will next month lead a delegation to China to meet President Xi Jinping, government sources revealed today.

It will be his first visit to Beijing since assuming the position of prime minister for the second time in his career.

His five-day official working trip will be in mid-August, said the sources without providing exact dates.

Mahathir is expected to be accompanied by at least three cabinet ministers including Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

"The prime minister has a very tight schedule from August onwards, starting with Beijing. There, Mahathir will be meeting President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

"He will also be meeting Geely's chairperson Li Shufu," the source told Malaysiakini. Geely is currently a 49 percent stakeholder in Proton.

Daim's visit 'success'

Meanwhile, another source revealed that Daim Zainuddin's just-concluded visit to China was a successful one in “paving the way” for the premier's coming working visit.

"Daim was there for a two-day visit to open up the doors as a representative of the Mahathir administration. He is a well-respected figure as a former finance minister," the source said.

Malaysiakini understands that Azmin and Lim may also be heading to China in the first week of August ahead of the prime minister's visit to discuss several Malaysian mega-projects being handled jointly with Chinese firms.

However, one of the minister's spokespersons said this has yet to be confirmed.

Before China, Mahathir will be head to Japan again from August 6 to 9 to attend the “Future Leaders” lecture series in Fukuoka.

The premier is scheduled to address business and student leaders while there. - Mkini