We can help with woes over asylum-seekers, Australia told

Malaysia has offered to help handle the influx of asylum-seekers into Australia, many of whom die while at sea or upon reaching Australia in horrible conditions.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak extended the offer during bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart Tony Abbot at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Summit here yesterday.

“Human trafficking is a big issue,” he said. “Such illegal activities had brought great suffering to those who had paid hefty sums of money to go to other countries,” Najib said.

“These people (asylum-seekers) use rickety and unsafe vessels. The Australian PM and I discussed how to prevent such incidents from occurring,” he told Malaysian reporters here.

He and Abbot also discussed a “reverse Colombo Plan”, whereby students Down Under would be offered places in Malaysian universities, besides experiencing the cultures and lives of Malaysians, and those of other Asean countries.

The Plan (named after the Sri Lankan capital where it started in the 1950s) embodies a concept of collective inter-governmental efforts to strengthen economic and social development of countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Regarding his meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Najib said his counterpart had expressed support for Malaysia’s bid for a seat as a non-permanent member in the United Nation’s Security Council.

New Zealand was also offering to be in the council but this would not be an issue to Malaysia, Najib said.

“We are representing the Asia-Pacific countries, while New Zealand is part of the other countries that include Turkey and Spain, in the contest for the seat,” he said.

(Source: The Star Online)

Petronas strengthens Canada-Malaysia ties

Local delights: Najib introducing Harper to the many varieties of local fruits during a luncheon to welcome the Canadian prime minister at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is now the largest foreign direct investor in Canada following the confirmation of Petronas’ C$36bil (RM110bil) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export business project in the country.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak confirmed this after a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper yesterday.

The one-hour closed door meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s office here. Harper arrived here on Friday for a three-day visit.

Najib said Malaysia was pleased with the Canadian government’s approval of Petronas’ earlier investment of C$5bil (RM15.3bil) in Progress Energy Canada, which was a significant investment for Malaysia in Canada.

“We are confident in the policies of the Canadian government and saw a wealth of opportunities in opening up the country’s energy industry to new markets.

“There is a 30-year timeline for the C$36bil investment and Petronas is very positive about this decision,” he told a joint press conference after the meeting.

Progress Energy Canada, formed after Petronas bought over Progress Energy Resources Corp last December, will undertake the project known as Pacific Northwest LNG which has been designed to capitalise on Asia’s growing demand for LNG by tapping into the abundant supply of cheap and land-locked natural gas in Canada.

On the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), Najib said he expected it to take a longer time to be concluded than the initial year-end timeline.

Canadian PM accorded welcome

Najib and Harper hold a joint press conference after their meeting at Putrajaya

PUTRAJAYA: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is on a three day visit to Malaysia was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Perdana Square Sunday.

Harper was greeted upon arrival by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at 9.30am, before the national anthems of Malaysia and Canada were played.

Harper then inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by 106 officers and men of the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.

Also present to welcome Harper were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Chief Secretary to the government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, and several cabinet ministers.

The two leaders were then ushered to Level Five of the Perdana Putra building here to begin their bilateral meeting, where several memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed, followed by a joint press conference.

Harper arrived in Malaysia on Friday. -Bernama

(Source: The Star Online)

Xi: Malaysia-China ties built on mutual help and trust

China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the Malaysia-China Economic Summit.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and China's strong bilateral ties were built on mutual help given in difficult times and ever more solid political trust, said China's president Xi Jinping.

Stressing that Malaysia was an important stop on his first state trip to Southeast Asia, he thanked the business communities from both nations who had long been committed to enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation.

"Our two countries have proven to be good neighbours, good friends and good partners who go through thick and thin together," he said in his keynote speech at the Malaysia-China Economic Summit at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here Friday.

Xi added that China would also never forget the strong public support it received from the Malaysian public in the aftermath of the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008.

"It touched our hearts. In 2012, a Malaysian student from Tianjin University saved the life of a seven-year-old Chinese boy by donating his own stem cells. These stories give full expression to the profound friendship between our people," he said.

He noted that Malaysia had been the first Asean country to establish diplomatic ties with China, while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had chosen China as the first country to visit outside of Asean in 2009.

Malaysia-China relationship an opportunity of a lifetime, says Xi

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia and China set the stage for a boom in relationship and the economy with what Chinese President Xi Jinping has described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He described the great opportunities available from the significant upgrading of trade and business ties between the two countries, as “shi bu zai lai” (‘it will only come once’ in Mandarin).

Based on what has been agreed by the two leaders over a five-year economic and trade cooperation, there is much in store for both countries to benefit.

Malaysia and China have also finalised the teamwork mechanism for the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (QIP), launched in April last year, and signed the agreed minutes for the setting up of a joint cooperation council of the QIP and the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP).

The MCKIP, the sister park of QIP in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in China, was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in April 2011.

The formation of the council is a huge step forward for the iconic QIP-MCKIP tie-up, as it would be responsible for coordinating, promoting, monitoring and evaluating the progress and development of the parks.

Most significantly, Najib and Xi pledge to achieve a bilateral trade volume of US$160bil (RM508bil) by the end of 2017 – 1.7 times more than last year’s amount.

Malaysia-China target RM500b in trade by 2017 - Bernama

Najib (2nd left) and Xi (4th right) heading for more talks in the Malaysia-China Economic Summit in Kuala Lumpur today. - Reuters pic, October 4, 2013

Malaysia and China are set to achieve a total bilateral trade of US$160 billion by 2017, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

During a closed-door meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at his office today, both leaders also discussed a five-year programme for economic and trade cooperation and agreed to elevate the current cooperation between both countries into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Prime Minister said China also expressed keen interest to participate in Malaysia's high-speed rail project, China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park.

"We also discussed greater cooperation in financial services. We’d like to see more trade between the countries settled in the Renminbi and Ringgit.

"Information should also be disseminated to the private sectors of both countries. We also agreed that financial institutions in Malaysia and China should assume a greater role in both countries," he said at a joint press conference with Xi after the meeting.

Xi and his 100-member delegation arrived in Malaysia yesterday for a three-day state visit.

Both leaders are expected to attend the Malaysia-China Economic Summit, later today, aimed at promoting and enhancing business-to-business linkages and collaboration between Malaysia and China.

Najib hoping for more FDI from China for mutual benefit

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has expressed hope for more foreign direct investment (FDI) to be pumped into Malaysia from China for the benefit of both countries.

 

While he thanked the Chinese government for supporting Malaysian companies, Najib said the amount of FDI from China was not as much as the FDI from Malaysia into the Asian economic giant.

"As of 2012, Malaysia's cumulative FDI into China stands at USD6.3bil (RM20.05bil).

"The cross flow from China to Malaysia however, is a fraction of that," he said in his speech at the Malaysia-China Economic Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Friday.

Najib said Malaysia looked forward to further investment in the future, as it continued to explore business opportunities in China and carry out reforms.

"We also laud the ongoing initiatives to facilitate further trade, including our bilateral currency swap arrangement agreement.

Xi begins 3-day state visit

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia rolled out the red carpet to welcome President Xi Jinping of China, whose three-day visit is set to usher in a new era in relations between both countries.

The visit is of utmost importance as it signals the commitment of the new Chinese leadership to maintain the longstanding friendly relations with Kuala Lumpur since the establishment of diplomatic relations 39 years ago.

Accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, Xi was greeted by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, upon arrival at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, at 6.35pm.

Others in the Chinese delegation included State Councillor overseeing foreign diplomacy Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng.

Xi arrived here after wrapping up a state visit to Indonesia, the first stop of his maiden trip to Southeast Asia since assuming the presidency in March.

 According to Wisma Putra, the trip will enable Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Xi to chart the future direction of Malaysia-China relations, which includes reaffirming their commitment to strengthen cooperation in all fields and contribute to the prosperity and maintenance of peace and stability in the region.

Today, Xi will be given an official welcome at Parliament, where he is expected to go on a short visit with his presidential entourage.

He is scheduled to meet Najib at the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya after that.

Malaysia-China ties stronger than ever

Razak and his Malaysian delegation being given a rousing welcome upon arrival at the Beijing airport in 1974.

KUALA LUMPUR: It has been 39 years since the late Tun Abdul Razak played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic ties with China.

And in all the years since, even after the former Prime Minister’s passing, the Chinese government has maintained a cordial relationship with his widow Tun Rahah Mohd Noah and her family.

Through its embassy here, China has invited Rahah to its functions and to the ambassadors’ official residence and even called on her – all in appreciation of her husband’s mammoth contributions in bringing the two countries closer.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Chai Xi said it had always been a custom for the Chinese to remember the good deeds done for them.

Canada’s Harper to visit Malaysia tomorrow

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 3 — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make a three-day official visit to Malaysia from Friday, at the invitation of his counterpart Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Harper’s first visit to Malaysia in his capacity as prime minister would certainly help elevate Malaysia’s relations with Canada.

“Both prime ministers are expected to have a bilateral meeting on various bilateral cooperations, focusing on trade and investment in the oil and gas fields as well as agriculture, plantation and transportation sectors,” he said.

Briefing the media ahead of the visit here yesterday, Anifah noted that the bilateral focus between Malaysia and Canada had shifted from being product-oriented to bilateral investment-based relations, with investments from both sides on the increase in recent years.

The minister further said that the visit also envisaged to further enhance cooperation in the fields of security and military, finance-related matters and private sector engagements.

The last Canadian prime minister to visit Malaysia was Jean Chretien who attended the Apec Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. The last high-level visit from Malaysia was by former Malaysia’s King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, in 2010. – Bernama

(Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com)

Najib Razak : Lawatan Presiden China Xi Jinping

Presiden China, Xi Jinping memulakan lawatan Negara selama tiga hari ke Malaysia. Lawatan ini akan membolehkan Najib Razak dan Xi melakar hala tuju masa depan hubungan Malaysia-China.

(Source: 1malaysia.com.my)

Najib, Xi to 'set future direction' of bilateral ties

BOOSTING TIES AND TRADE: Chinese president to ink several economic cooperation and trade agreements

KUALA LUMPUR:   MALAYSIA and China are expected to sign several economic pacts and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) during Chinese President's Xi Jinping state visit here, his first since assuming office in March.

Xi, who arrives today, will have bilateral talks with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during his three-day visit which Wisma Putra said would "set the future direction" of Malaysia-China ties.

"This (state) visit of President Xi is of utmost importance as it signals the commitment of the new Chinese leadership to maintain the long-standing friendly relations with Malaysia," Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said.

"The visit is envisaged to take into account the geo-strategic developments rapidly taking place in the region," he said at a news briefing ahead of the visit.

Xi will be accompanied by a 100-strong delegation, which includes his wife, Peng Liyuan, State Councillor overseeing foreign diplomacy Yang jiechi, Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng.

Najib arrives home from USA visit

SEPANG, Oct 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has returned home after his visit to the United States of America from Sept 22 to 29.

Najib and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, arrived at the Bunga Raya Complex, KL International Airport (KLIA) here at 7pm today.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and several Barisan Nasional (BN) component party and government leaders welcomed their arrival.

In his visit to the US, the prime minister led the Malaysian delegation to the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York from Sept 25 to 29.

He made a statement at the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament on Sept 26, and a National Statement at the General Debate on Sept 28.

Besides that, Najib also delivered a keynote address at an Asia Society function and held a meeting with key industry figures from Asean and the US during a luncheon event with the US-Asean Business Council and US Chamber of Commerce, as well as hosted a dinner funtion with Malaysians in New York on Sept 28. 

Najib courting American investors

Meeting of minds: Najib talking to US fund managers during a meeting at the Harvard Club New York. Sitting on his left is Malaysian Special Envoy to the US Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis. — Bernama

AFTER experiencing the latest technology and innovations in the Silicon Valley, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak flew into the Big Apple to make a pitch to American investors on the advantages of doing business with Malaysia.

The Prime Minister arrived on Wednesday morning from San Francisco and barely had a few hours of rest before giving an address at the Global Investment Symposium at Harvard Club, followed by a private meeting with fund managers and another meeting with American investors.

During the question and answer session at the symposium, he gave a long list of successes due to the pro-business and pro-growth policies of the Malaysian Government as verified by international organisations like the World Bank and Unctad.

Najib visits Facebook and Google offices

Google executive Caesar Sengupta (left) taking Najib on a tour around the Google headquarters at Mountain View, San Francisco. - BERNAMA

SAN FRANCISCO: It was another enlightening day for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the Silicon Valley as he met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and visited the Google office.

Najib, who is on a three-day working visit to the Silicon Valley, spent half a day each at  the social media giant's' head office in Menlo Park and the search engine headquarters in Mountain View on Tuesday.

"The experience is very very interesting, an eye-opener not only products but also the lifestyle, especially the culture of innovation.

"How do we promote the culture of innovation. It's not about the hardware, it's not about the regulations and incentives but also about the way of live and the culture of innovation which is important because that's the underpinning for innovation to really succeed," he told the Malaysian media following him on the trip.

The Prime Minister said during his visit to Facebook, the company had expressed a willingness to work with the Malaysian Government on its efforts to further engage the people to learn more on what they wanted.

When Najib Razak met Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg - Bernama

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) had a private meeting with Facebook chairman and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg at the social media giant's head office in Menlo Park yesterday.

The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) in a statement here said Najib and Zuckerberg discussed potential collaborative efforts between Facebook and Malaysia.

The discussion centred on efforts to bridge the digital divide and bring Internet accessibility as well as digital opportunities to the unconnected.

On August 20 this year, Facebook, together with founding partners Ericsson, Media Tek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung, launched the Internet.org initiative to make Internet access available to the next five billion people. It is focused on addressing three key challenges — making access affordable, using data more efficiently and helping business drive access — in developing countries.

"Internet.org is a noble and audacious initiative and it is commendable that the industry is making an attempt to be inclusive and to bridge the digital divide.

"With wider Internet accessibility, more Malaysians can be empowered in new areas of digital adoption, use and creation to catalyse our nation's shift to a new, knowledge-based economy," Najib said.

Govt encourages setting up of data management centres in m’sia — PM

GIVING ATTENTION: Najib delivering his speech on the Third Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) luncheon yesterday.

SAN FRANCISCO: The government encourages the setting up of data management centres in Malaysia to develop the national information technology (IT) industry, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said the setting up of the latest data management centres was among the matters being given attention by the government.

Speaking to the media after chairing the 3rd annual general meeting of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) here yesterday, he said the effort, however, might be constrained in terms of getting those with the capabilities such as data scientists in Malaysia.

He said Malaysia was capabable of developing such centres because it had a unique capability, wide area, suitable structure and could offer incentives.

Najib said the development would also result in the country needing thousands of data scientists in the future.

The Prime Minister said he had also met several Malaysian companies which had transformed and had morphed from being sited in the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) (in Malaysia) to venturing into partnerships with their share-partners from the Silicon Valley, United States.

“To the extent their products can now be sold in the global market,” he said.

He said the companies were PULSATE Sdn Bhd, INTEL Corporation, Revolution Analytics Inc, MOL Global Pte Ltd, Rixty Inc, Joota Ventures Sdn Bhd, BrandX Development LLC and XYBASE MSC Sdn Bhd.

To expand further the innovation culture, Najib said companies which sought to implement innovations but in the end encountered failure should not be penalised because innovation was encouraged as a normal culture practiced in the Silicon Valley.

He said their failures were sometimes caused by their bravery in trying something new and sometimes the causes were beyond their control. — Bernama

(Source: http://www.theborneopost.com)

PM: Malaysia will not impose capital controls

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Malaysia will not impose capital controls for now but use other existing financial instruments to correct any economic volatility, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said today.

However, he did rule out the possibility of implementing capital controls as a last resort, as the current economic environment in the country was still resilient.

The Malaysian economy remains resilient compared to other countries in the region due to its strong reserves position, coupled with high savings in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Tabung Haji and Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pencen, he said during a recording at the CNBC Summit Conference, which will be aired over the business network at 5pm tomorrow.

“Chances of a default is minimum. Despite our money leaving, our reserves are more than enough compared to what we had during the financial crisis in 1997,” he added.

Legal system to keep up with country's aspirations, says PM

KUALA LUMPUR: It's important for the legal system to keep up with Malaysia’s aspirations, as a country, to attain developed status by 2020, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

This, he said, was why Malaysia has taken important steps to create a modern legal system that facilitates economic growth and protects the needs of the people.

The prime minister said the government had also taken steps to open up democratic space in Malaysia, as seen in ending the three proclamations of Emergency, invoked in 1966, 1969 and 1977.

"It is imperative we acknowledge present day realities when enacting new laws. It is important to uphold laws that protects the fundamental rights of all citizens.

"It is equally crucial for the government to act firmly against those who threaten the peace and harmony of our country, " he said in his keynote address at the Middle Temple Conference 2013 here today.



(Source: http://www.nst.com.my)

S’pore, M’sia have greater stakes in each other’s success: Tony Tan

KUALA LUMPUR: President Tony Tan Keng Yam said on Wednesday Singapore and Malaysia today have greater stakes in each other's success.

The president was speaking at a state banquet hosted by Malaysia's Head of State, Tuanku Abdul Halim, at the Istana Negara.

Dr Tan said: "Improved connectivity through projects such as the High Speed Rail Link will further enhance our economic cooperation and people-to-people interactions. We are dreaming big together, so our peoples will gain an enriching and secure future together."

Dr Tan also said Singapore looks forward to Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2015.

He added that as founding members, the two countries share a common vision of a strong and united ASEAN.

The president is on his first state visit to Malaysia.

He received a ceremonial welcome at Parliament Square on Wednesday afternoon. A 21-gun salute was fired in his honour.

Dr Tan also met Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak during a courtesy call.

The leaders agreed the two countries should improve institutional and people-to-people ties at all levels.

The president's visit reflected the strong ties between Singapore and Malaysia in recent years.

Joint projects such as the development corridor Iskandar Malaysia and most recently, the KL-Singapore rail link have brought bilateral cooperation to new highs.

This visit also has symbolic importance – it is only the third ever state visit by a Singaporean president to Malaysia since the two countries separated in 1965.

(Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com)