Malaysia's Mahathir to visit China end of week

BEIJING (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will visit China on a five-day trip starting from this Friday, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Mahathir said last month the "unfairness" of contracts for Beijing-backed projects were a key issue he would raise during his visit to China. Mahathir, who came to power in May following a stunning election defeat for then prime minister Najib Razak, is reviewing major projects signed by the former government, saying many of them do not make financial sense for Malaysia. Mahathir has been highly critical of the benefits of certain Chinese projects in Malaysia. Since taking office, he has vowed to renegotiate terms even as construction work continued. Mahathir, 93, will meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang as well as President Xi Jinping. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Darren Schuettler)