
KUALA LUMPUR -- The clock is ticking on Malaysia's drive to become a high-income country by 2020, and it has turned to China for some extra momentum.
The country's self-imposed development goals, originally set by the government of then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed in 1991 and refined by current leader Najib Razak in 2010, include achieving gross national income per capita of at least $15,000. The latest data projects 42,777 ringgit ($10,233) for 2018, suggesting the country is about two years away from hitting the target -- no small feat considering the figure was $7,600 in 2010.