President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday that his government will share its experience of dredging and developing the country’s four main rivers with Malaysia ahead of summit talks with visiting Prime Minister Mohamed Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak later in the day.

“The Malaysian prime minister said he wished to take a look at the four rivers being developed,” Lee said during an Arbor Day event in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.

“We plan to share our experience with Malaysia.”

The multi-trillion-won construction work is one of the key state projects started by Lee who had restored Seoul’s Cheonggye Stream during his service as the city’s mayor.

During the summit talks Tuesday, the two leaders discussed how to extend substantial cooperation between their countries in various fields including the economy, trade, science and technology as well as energy, Lee’s office said.

Korea is seeking to win a nuclear power plant deal in Malaysia as the Southeast Asian country plans to build two atomic plants by 2022.

Also on Tuesday, the two countries signed two preliminary agreements on technological exchange for express highway development as well as educational and cultural cooperation between the summit meeting and a dinner hosted by Lee.

During his three-day official visit which ends Wednesday, the Malaysian leader attended a session to attract investment in his country, met with South Korean businessmen and members of state-run research institutes such as the Korea Development Institute and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology.

Najib made the trip in return for Lee’s state visit to Malaysia in December. The two had also met in June 2009 during Korea’s special summit with ASEAN on Jeju Island.

While serving as defense minister of Malaysia, Najib had visited a heavy industries company in Korea in 1990 to buy armored vehicles.

Lee and Najib also exchanged ideas on regional issues and matters of international concern Tuesday, Lee’s office said.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)