London visit takes Malaysia-UK ties to greater heights

GREATER HEIGHTS: File photo shows Najib (right) talking to David Cameron during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Battersea Power Station development on July 4. The Prime Minister’s four-day visit to the UK which ended on Thursday has taken Kuala Lumpur-London relationships to greater heights. — Bernama photo

LONDON: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s four-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) which ended on Thursday has taken Kuala Lumpur-London relationships to greater heights.

This was manifested by the launch of the iconic Battersea Power Station (BSP) project in London by a Malaysian consortium comprising SP Setia Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

The 15.6 hectare redevelopment project, with gross development value (GDV) of eight billion pounds sterling, will see some 3,500 new homes built as well as offices, shoplots and a park in West London, and is expected to take at least 10 years to complete and create 15,000 jobs.

Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, chairman of joint venture company BSP Holding Co, said at a press conference here on Wednesday the project marks the move by local companies from being ‘juara kampung’ to international champions.

“Combining the strengths of the three companies together, we can beat every company in the world to become world champions and not just look at being ‘jaguh kampung’,” he said.

Najib to open Battersea project with UK’s Cameron in London

After concluding his working visit in Tanzania, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is scheduled to be in London to jointly-officiate the groundbreaking of the Battersea Power Station Project with his United Kingdom counterpart David Cameron, this Thursday.

The project is being developed by the Battersea Project Holding Company Ltd, a joint-venture company owned by a Malaysian consortium comprising SP Setia, Sime Darby and the Employees Provident Fund.

Wisma Putra, in a statement here today, said the Malaysian consortium had successfully bid for the project through an open tender last September, and the presence of the two premiers at the ceremony symbolises the close political and economic ties between both countries.

During his six-day working visit starting from July 1, Najib will also hold a bilateral meeting with Cameron prior to the groundbreaking ceremony, where the two leaders will exchange views on bilateral matters as well as regional and international issues of common interest.

"The working visit is expected to further deepen the friendly and close ties between Malaysia and the UK, and it also serves as another example of the increased frequency of bilateral exchanges between the two countries over the past three years," the statement said.