Malaysia’s king is planning to seek funding from Chinese investors for a multibillion dollar high-speed rail project between the Southeast Asian country and Singapore, according to people familiar with the matter.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Malaysia's king Sultan Ibrahim will visit China from Thursday, the first by a Malaysian monarch in a decade, where he will meet President Xi Jinping and likely seek support for projects boosting connectivity to neighbouring Singapore.

The project was canceled in 2021 over high costs, but Malaysia’s current administration revived it last year on the condition that it’s not funded by taxpayers.

The ceremonial ruler from the southern state of Johor, will be accompanied by Malaysia's transport and housing ministers

Analyst says monarch’s first official overseas trip is likely to focus on implementing existing deals rather than announcing new projects.