On the afternoon of June 19, Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim jointly attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Gomer Station of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Malaysia and delivered speeches respectively.

Li Qiang first extended his condolences to the hardworking constructors from both countries. Li Qiang said that the ECRL is a flagship project for China and Malaysia to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality. He believed that with the joint efforts of both sides, the project will surely be built into a high-quality, efficient, safe, and reliable model project and will become a demonstration and showcase for Belt and Road cooperation.

Li Qiang expressed that the ECRL project is not just a transportation trunk line but will also play an important role in promoting development, creating jobs, and improving people's livelihoods. China is willing to work hand in hand with Malaysia to make the ECRL a road to prosperity and happiness that truly benefits the people. China is also willing to actively explore with Malaysia the connectivity of the ECRL with the China-Laos Railway and the China-Thailand Railway to better promote the construction of a new international land-sea trade route and play a bigger role in enhancing regional connectivity and deepening the construction of the ASEAN Community.

Anwar Ibrahim said that the ECRL project connects the east and west coasts of Malaysia and is of great significance for promoting Malaysia's economic and social development. He thanked Chinese and local Malaysian enterprises for cooperating to advance this important project. He believed that with the joint efforts of Malaysia and China, leveraging "China speed" and advanced technology, the ECRL project will be completed as soon as possible, injecting strong momentum into the development of Malaysia and other countries in the region.

Afterward, the two premiers jointly pushed a lever to officially launch the construction of the Gomer Station.

Wu Zhenglong, State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council, also participated in the event.

Before the ceremony, Wang Tongzhou, Chairman of the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), briefed Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Anwar on the progress of the ECRL project and introduced the development of CCCC in Malaysia and other Belt and Road countries.

The ECRL project, built by CCCC, starts from Kota Bharu in the north, heads south to Kuantan, then turns west to the Port of Klang, spanning a total length of 665 kilometers. It is currently the largest single transportation infrastructure project undertaken by a Chinese enterprise overseas. The Gomer Station is one of the four state capital stations of the CCCC's ECRL project. It is located on the edge of the Gomer Quartz Ridge, which has the world's longest quartzite stratum, adjacent to Kuala Lumpur, serving as a capital station. Upon completion, the station will be connected to the existing Gomer LRT station, becoming an integrated transportation hub and significantly alleviating the increasing traffic congestion in the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area.

Chen Zhong, Deputy General Manager of CCCC, Tang Qiaoliang, Director of Overseas Business, Bai Yinzhan, Chairman of China Harbour Engineering Company Limited, and the leadership team of the ECRL project participated in the event.

Source: China Metro East Railway ECRL