China said it was willing to study a plan to connect Malaysia's $10-billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to other China-backed railway projects in Laos and Thailand, potentially expanding Beijing's Belt and Road initiative across Southeast Asia.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is on a three-day visit to Malaysia, said on Wednesday the proposal would make the central line of a proposed Pan-Asia Railway, running from Kunming in China to Singapore, a reality.

"This will better promote the construction of new international land and sea trade corridors, enhance regional connectivity, and deepen the building of the ASEAN community," Li said.

Li was speaking during a ground-breaking ceremony at a construction site for the ECRL - a 665-km (413-mile) railway that will link peninsular Malaysia's east and west coasts by the end of 2026. 

Malaysia's government said in March it would consider extending the China-backed project to its border with Thailand.

Li is on the third leg of a trip that has included New Zealand and Australia, as China looks to expand influence and investments in the Asia-Pacific region amid an ongoing rivalry with the United States.

He met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, following his arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for a visit to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

After Wednesday's closed-door meeting, Li and Anwar witnessed the signing of more than a dozen pacts, including renewing a five-year programme to collaborate in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and financial services, a statement after the meeting showed.

The programme, which will expire in 2028, was first introduced in 2013.