Motorcyclist Kulal: BRI to give more incentive to regional growth in SE Asia

“As a Malaysian, I think it’s a great initiative. I believe the initiative will give another incentive to all countries in the Southeast Asian region,” said Arep Kulal, a veteran motorcyclist form Malaysia, citing the development and technologies seen in China.

Arep Kulal and another five Malaysians were going on a 23,000-kilometer motorbike odyssey from London to Kuala Lumpur that involves a recent stop in Kunming, Yunnan province. And Kulal said this in response to a question on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) raised by a Yunnan Daily reporter.

The Malaysian riders departed from London, England at the end of June, passing through France, Germany, Switzerland and other European countries, and then they headed east along the ancient Silk Road, travelling through Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan before entering China.

“We don’t face any difficulties in China. This remarks the great relationships our governments have. I think it’ll encourage more people to visit China and more Chinese to visit Malaysia,” noted Arep Kulal.

In China, they first rode along the ancient Silk Road sections in Xinjiang, Gansu and Shaanxi then went southward along the Southern Silk Road sections in Sichuan, Tibet and Yunnan. The Malaysian riders were impressed by the development and technologies along the way.

Reporting by Wang Jingzhong and Zi Jianfei (Yunnan Daily); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue