Najib hails China as ‘extremely successful’ as he looks to build ties

BEIJING — Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday (Nov 3) described his week-long visit to China as “extremely successful”, while Chinese President Xi Jinping said both countries are good partners who should further elevate their ties.

In his opening remarks during a meeting with Mr Xi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Mr Najib said he could be the first foreign leader to meet Mr Xi after the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Congress last week, and offered his congratulations to him for being conferred the title “core leader”.

“It’s very important that your strong, visionary and effective leadership has the strong support of the Communist Party because we believe that your leadership will propel China forward and the Chinese dream that you cherish will be fulfilled under your leadership,” the New Straits Times (NST) quoted Mr Najib as saying.

Mr Xi, meanwhile, said he was happy to see the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations has come to fruition, and that ties between the two countries should be further strengthened.

“Malaysia and China are good neighbours, rely on each other, mutually respect each other, and are good friends and partners,” NST quoted him as saying.

The Chinese leader paid tribute to Mr Najib’s father, Malaysia’s second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, who initiated diplomatic ties with China in 1974. Razak had contributed to the “historical” ties between Malaysia and China, said Mr Xi, adding that Mr Najib has continued to do so as the current Prime Minister.

Malaysia and China signed 14 agreements worth RM144 billion (S$47.7 billion) during Mr Najib’s visit this week, signalling a potential strategic shift by the Najib administration .

This comes as Malaysia’s ties with the United States cooled after a lawsuit was filed by its Department of Justice to recover more than US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) in assets said to be embezzled from state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Among the deals inked was one to buy four Chinese littoral mission ships, Putrajaya’s first significant defence deal with Beijing. Another key deal signed will see China build and help finance an east coast railway link in Malaysia that is estimated to cost RM55 billion.

Mr Najib’s visit to China comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, and as the US and China compete for influence in the region. He is the second leader from South-east Asia with rival territorial claims in the South China Sea to visit China in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte visited China, where he announced his country’s “separation” from ally US as he declared he had realigned with Beijing, with both countries agreeing to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

Mr Najib on Thursday also paid tribute to the One Belt One Road and Maritime Silk Road initiatives, Mr Xi’s signature projects to build infrastructure and establish new trade routes across the region. “Your vision of a comprehensive strategic partnership, One Belt One Road, and Maritime Silk Road has not only been accepted, but implemented,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Najib visited the Chinese port city of Tianjin in a high-speed train. During his 30-minute journey, he was briefed on China’s High Speed Rail (HSR) by China Railway.

“Travelling in the Hexie Hao high-speed train to Tianjin. We took 30 minutes in the 117km journey between Beijing and Tianjin. It was a smooth and speedy journey,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

According to national news agency Bernama, China Railway Engineering Corp is among several rail companies hoping to play a role in the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project.

In July, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mr Najib signed a seven-point agreement that aimed for the HSR services to kick off from 2026. The HSR, with speeds of more than 300kmh, will reduce travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to just 90 minutes. AGENCIES