KL commends Beijing over South China Sea

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Malaysia has commended China for its commitment to resolve disputes and overlapping territorial claims in the resource-rich and strategic South China Sea through peaceful negotiations.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the pledge by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang at the ongoing 23rd Asean Summit here not to use force in resolving the matter was welcomed as Kuala Lumpur had always opposed the use of force or threats.

“With China’s commitment, the claimant states should now be committed to resolving matters peacefully through negotiations.

“We need to work on the Code of Conduct as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea for an amicable solution,” he told Malaysian media at the end of day one of the summit here yesterday.

Earlier yesterday, the Chinese Prime Minister had told the summit that Asean should not let the question of the South China Sea affect overall China-Asean relations.

China is now Asean’s biggest trading partner with bilateral trade last year amounting to US$400bil (RM1.27 trillion), nearly six times that of 10 years ago.

In the first half of this year, bilateral trade topped US$210bil (RM670bil), an increase of 12% compared to the corresponding period last year.

Petronas eyes Canada licence

 

AN export licence is the next important step for the Canadian unit of Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) to see its C$36 billion (RM111 billion) investment advance further.

Its unit, Pacific Northwest LNG, had in July applied to Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) for a licence to export up to 19.68 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year for 25 years beginning 2019 from its proposed multi-billion dollar export facility in Port Edward, British Columbia.

The filing for the NEB export licence is regarded as "another important step to bring the tremendous opportunity into reality".

"We believe that the successful completion of our project will create long-term, multi-generational benefits for First Nations, northwest British Columbia, the province and the country as a whole.

"While we continue our work to reach a final investment decision in late 2014, we believe that our project has all of the key components of a successful world-class LNG development," said Pacific Northwest president Greg Kist in a statement.

Pacific NorthWest, which is owned through various subsidiaries by Petronas, plans to build three so-called trains, the cooling units where the liquefaction of gas occurs, on Lelu Island in the Port Edward district, south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

The site will be used to liquefy and export natural gas produced by Calgary-based Progress Energy Canada, which was bought by Petronas last year in a US$5.5 billion deal.

Since then, Petronas and Malaysia have shown commitment to further invest in the development of LNG in Canada.


Last Saturday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that Petronas will invest C$36 billion over 30 years to build the energy plant that will cover the construction of upstream facilities, including a pipeline leading to the plant.

"I am told that it is the largest foreign direct investment in Canada by any country. This is a significant landmark decision by Petronas following a positive response from the Canadian government," Najib had said during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was on a visit to Malaysia.

The Petronas takeover of Progress Energy triggered months of hand-wringing in the Harper's government over majority takeovers of Canadian companies by foreign state-owned enterprises.

The Canadian government eventually did approve the deals last year but at the same time introduced new rules that permit such takeovers only in the most exceptional circumstances.

Earlier reports said the proposed LNG facility will comprise an initial development of two LNG trains of about six million tonnes per annum (mtpa) each and a subsequent development of a third train of about six mtpa.

Petronas plans to invest between C$9 billion and C$11 billion to construct the first two liquefication units and C$5 billion on a 750km-long pipeline, to be built by TransCanada Corp, that will supply gas to the two units.

Pacific NorthWest will be supplied with natural gas sourced primarily from Progress Energy Canada's assets in northeast British Columbia.

Petronas, through its subsidiaries, will hold a 90 per cent interest in the project, with Japan Petroleum Exploration Co Ltd holding the rest.

The proposed facility is also expected to create up to 3,500 direct jobs during its construction stage. Once operational, the LNG facility will create 200 to 300 permanent full-time jobs.

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)

Flexibility is key to signing of Pacific trade pact, Najib says at Apec dialogue - Bernama

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today expressed his concern on a few areas in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) at the Apec CEO Summit dialogue in Bali.

He also stressed that "flexibility" would be key to the successful negotiation of the agreement at the dialogue themed Investment in Infrastructure and Human Capital - Investing for Economic Resilience.

“We do have a few areas of great concern because TPP is a different free trade agreement,” said Najib, who was a panel member with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, in response to a question by the moderator, Diane Brady, a senior editor with Bloomberg, about his concerns on the TPPA.

The prime minister said the TPPA goes beyond the normal trade and investment in the free trade agreements that Malaysia has with many countries.

“As you go beyond that, into areas of intellectual properties, investor-state dispute settlement, government procurement, state-owned enterprises, environment and labour, so you impinge on fundamentally the sovereign right of the country to make regulation and policy.

"That is a tricky part and that is why we ask for flexibility,” he said.

Najib had said yesterday that it was unlikely that the TPPA would be concluded by year-end, the scheduled deadline.

The TPPA is a proposed free trade agreement under negotiation by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member countries – Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, The United States and Vietnam. – Bernama, October 7, 2013.

(Source: The Malaysian Insider)

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.

Najib to lead Malaysian delegation to Apec summit

BALI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will lead a Malaysian delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Lea­ders Summit which begins today.

The meeting has been overshadowed by the absence of US President Barack Obama, who cancelled his trip to the summit and several Southeast-Asian countries including Malaysia, following a partial US government shutdown after a budget row in the Congress.

Obama is represented by Secretary of State John Kerry at Apec 2013.

Najib is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from several countries, including Australia and New Zealand, and is also slated to attend the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) leaders’ meeting here.

The TPP is being pushed by Obama to create a Asia-Pacific free-trade area covering nearly 40% of the global economic output.

Protests have erupted over fears that it could open domestic markets to foreign competition.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin said Obama’s absence would mean several high-level meetings with other economic leaders would be cancelled.

It is understood that Najib will also meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here.

This year’s summit, themed “Towards Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth” signalled the importance of Asian economies in free trade and investments.

Najib to deliberate on APEC’s three priorities during AELM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to deliberate on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec)’s three priorities during the 21st Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in Bali, Indonesia, beginning Monday.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Apec 2013′s three priorities are ‘Attaining the Bogor Goals’, ‘Promoting Connectivity’ and ‘Achieving Sustainable Growth with Equity’.

“Apart from exchanging views with other leaders on these issues, the prime minister will also explore new and innovative ideas to further enhance cooperation among Apec economies,” said the statement.

Najib, who will lead the Malaysian delegation to the AELM, will be accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, Foreign Ministry, International Trade and Industry Ministry and Finance Ministry.

The two-day AELM, to be attended by Heads of Government of the 21 Pacific Rim member economies, will assume a vital role in promoting trade as well as investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

The outcome of the 21st Apec Economic Leaders Meeting will be documented in the Apec Economic Leaders’ Declaration. – BERNAMA

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

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)

A strong Umno is crucial to success of BN, says Najib

Responsible leader: Najib posing after handing out sacrificial cows to his Pekan constituents. — Bernama

PEKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called on Umno members to respect and accept with an open heart whatever decisions made by the grassroots regarding the upcoming party polls.

The Umno president said a strong united Umno was crucial to the success of Barisan Nasional in the next general election.

“As the Pekan Umno division chief, it is my responsibility to make sure we are all united. If we have unity, we will be successful in all of our struggles,” said Najib before handing out sacrificial cows to his Pekan constituents here yesterday.

The Prime Minister also said loyalty and making sacrifices were values that should be observed by all in Umno.

“Throughout history, we have been successful in tackling challenges because we were willing to make sacrifices, some even with their lives.

“During the struggle for independence, some people sacrificed their lives but they were not successful because they were in small, disorganised groups,” he said.

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.

Airbus sets up regional service centre in Sepang

Jet set: Najib looking at a model of an Airbus jet at KLIA in Sepang. Looking on is Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Bergier.

SEPANG: Malaysia has consolidated its position as one of the three leading countries in the Asia Pacific area for aircraft maintenance, repairs and overhaul (MRO) services.

This was acknowledged by aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which has set up a new Airbus Customer Services Centre for specialised aerospace engineering services here.

The centre, located adjacent to the Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE) facility, represents an expansion of Airbus’ global network of offices providing 24/7 specialised major engineering and repair services.

Existing offices offering these services are in Toulouse, Hamburg, Wichita and Beijing.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who officiated the launch of the construction of the hangar at the SAE facility yesterday, said SAE would be able to offer world-class maintenance services to airlines from across the region and beyond while the new Airbus Customer Services facility would put Malaysia on the international map as a centre for specialised aerospace engineering services.

“Both initiatives will significantly enhance our position in this high-value business.

“It will also provide further proof that Malaysia is a major player in the MRO business in the region,” he said.

‘Budget 2014 to benefit all, including civil servants’

PUTRAJAYA: The Budget 2014 to be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Oct 25 will be geared towards economic growth.

“It will be a pro-growth budget, so as citizens, civil servants will also benefit from it,” Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said yesterday.

Queried as to whether there would be any announcement on salary, benefits and allowances for civil servants in the budget, he responded that the government had taken care of those matters through two pay rises this year, as well as capping automatic increments at minimum three percent for those who have reached maximum salary.

Apart from that the Public Service Department was also reviewing the 86 allowances under various civil service schemes as announced at the 13th Civil Service Dialogue in March, he added.

“The results of the review will be announced in December as scheduled,” he said at a press conference after opening Innovation Day 2013 at the Prime Minister’s Department here.

Ali said the Innovation Day was aimed at strengthening the culture of innovation in the government’s service delivery system. — Bernama

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