Dr M: Plan to buy Chinese jets just a suggestion

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that Malaysia's possibility of buying Chinese fighter jets in retaliation to the EU's ban on palm biofuels was just a suggestion.

"That was merely a suggestion. We haven't made any decision," he told the media at Universiti Putra Malaysia today where he attended a Cuepacs event.

Yesterday, Mahathir warned that if the EU persisted with its ban on palm biofuels, Putrajaya may be forced to buy fighter jets and planes from China instead of its planned purchase of the EU's Eurofighter Typhoon jet.

"If we have to buy fighter jets, we will have to buy from China. I think they do not lack in technology," he said yesterday.

Today, Mahathir clarified that so far Putrajaya had no interest in buying any jets.

"We may not buy any jets at all," he said.

Asked whether Putrajaya was discussing the EU ban on palm biofuels with Indonesia - also a huge palm oil producer - Mahathir said the government would engage Indonesia in discussions.

Yesterday, Mahathir explained that the EU had banned palm oil because it was much cheaper than the soy-based oil produced in EU member countries.

The union also complained about alleged deforestation, the loss of wildlife habitats and how Aborigines were impacted due to the opening of palm oil plantations.

He claimed the EU was against deforestation because it wanted the less-developed countries to keep their forests in order to produce oxygen for the planet as their own forests had been depleted.

The European parliament is in the process of banning the use of palm oil for biofuel while Iceland, one of UK's largest supermarket retailers, has stopped using palm oil in its self-branded products. -Mkini