On the afternoon of Nov. 24, 2000, Premier Zhu Rongji met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad.

Zhu recalled that he and Mahathir exchanged visits last year and President Jiang met with Mahathir in Brunei not long ago. He expressed pleasure of seeing Mahathir again.
 
Zhu said that Prime Minister Mahathir has always supported East Asian cooperation and played an important role in the summit meeting between ASEAN and China, Japan and ROK. He was very pleased to note that through the concerted efforts of all parties concerned, 10+3 summit has scored gratifying progress in as short as 3 years. He appreciated the proposition and suggestion Mahathir put forward at the just concluded 10+3 summit.

Zhu said that the Chinese government attaches great importance to cooperation with ASEAN, adding that China stands ready to intensify such cooperation according to the Joint Statement on East Asian Cooperation. He suggested that China and ASEAN step up dialogue and coordination in exploring the Mekong River, in building the Pan-Asian highway, in constructing railway and in preventing financial crisis from recurrence.

Mahathir appreciated Zhu’s suggestion on China-ASEAN cooperation and briefed him on the economic situation in the Southeast Asia. He went on to say that ASEAN countries should remain vigilant of financial risks, as they were victims of the last round of Asian financial crisis. He added that it is necessary to reform the existing international financial structure in order to prevent and remove financial risks.  

Zhu noted that bilateral cooperation in all fields has been deepening in an all-round way with bilateral trade growing rapidly, adding that Chinese companies are ready to participate in the construction of Malaysia' domestic railroad which constitutes part of the pan-Asian railway. He noted that the two countries are also discussing about other cooperation projects, adding that there is great prospect for the two countries to expand economic and trade cooperation.

Mahathir agreed with Zhu in this aspect, adding that the scale of bilateral cooperation is larger than ever and there still exist huge potentials for greater cooperation. Mahathir also briefed Zhu on Malaysia's plans on the Pan-Asian railroad and welcomed China to play an active role in the railroad construction. He also reiterated that his country opposes the independence of Taiwan and will continue to stick to its One China policy.