Malaysia taps brakes along China's Belt and Road

Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is tapping the brakes along China's Belt and Road, stopping work on a $20 billion rail link between the country's east and west coasts. It is a rare setback for the broader, trillion-dollar infrastructure initiative. Total cancellation would result in penalties and waste at least some of the $5 billion already spent, largely on subcontracting work.

During this year's election campaign, Mahathir said the nearly 700km of tracks, mostly financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, were costly and served no purpose.