Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday that the Chinese-funded US$20 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project and a natural gas pipeline project in Sabah will be cancelled for now, Channel News Asia reports. Speaking to journalists at the end of his five-day official visit to China, the prime minister said Chinese President Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang understood the reasons behind the cancellation of the two Chinese government-backed projects. Mahathir struck a conciliatory tone during his visit to Beijing, a stark contrast to his earlier sharp language on China, writes Steven Jiang for CNN. In the past year, Mahathir has spoken harshly about Chinese investment in his country, alleging that his predecessor, Najib Rajak, had jeopardized the government’s budget sustainability by signing multibillion-dollar deals with China.