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Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s first official trip abroad as the prime minister was to Pattaya in Thailand, the site of the 14th ASEAN Summit held in early April. However, that event was scuttled by Thai anti-government protesters who stormed the summit venue as well as the hotel where the ASEAN leaders were staying.
The ASEAN-South Korea Summit at the end of May was more successful. Najib was among the 10 ASEAN leaders who attended the summit hosted by Korean President Lee Myung Bak. The summit had two purposes. Firstly, it was an occasion to sign a free trade accord between the regional grouping and the host country. Secondly, it was for the various leaders to talk about regional and international issues of common concern such as the global economic meltdown, climate change, sustainable development, environmental issues and security matters. Singapore
Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had done a good job of mending fences with Singapore after much damage had been done by his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Najib, who understood the importance of Singapore, as a trading partner and an investor in the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor in Johor, made efforts to continue where Pak Lah had left off. “We both agreed that the legacy issues should not be in the way of us moving ahead,” Najib said during a joint press conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, referring to issues that include the price of water that Malaysia supplies to Singapore, Singapore's military access to Malaysian airspace, and the future of Malaysian-owned railway land on the island state. Lee said the talks were fruitful, and that the state of bilateral relations between the two countries were “warm”. Lee also expressed interest in the Iskandar project, a massive economic zone more than twice the size of Singapore. Najib also proposed the building of a third bridge linking the two countries. Lee suggested that the current Causeway be widened and the rail link connecting both sides be improved to ease traffic movement, but he agreed to study Najib’s proposal.
In early June, Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited Malaysia for a one-week working trip during which he met various leaders from both sides of the political divide. After he held discussion with Najib, the senior Lee told reporters that cooperation with Singapore must be long term and across the board as massive investments are involved, adding that whatever projects undertaken must be fair to both sides. He suggested Singapore would agree to the third bridge if Malaysia would resume selling sand. In late June, Malaysia and Singapore announced that they had agreed to take a broader win-win approach to resolve the impasse on their Points of Agreement (POA) issue, which mainly has to do with the impasse regarding Malaysian railway land in Singapore. China
Najib made a trip to China in early June during which he achieved a lot during his visit there. At the end of his four-day visit to China, he had indicated to China’s prime minister that Malaysia could offer a commercial banking licence to China’s central bank on condition that China reciprocated by allowing greater Malaysian participation in China’s financial sector.
Najib said he spoke of the possibility of allowing a Chinese company lay the double-track railway between Gemas and Johor Bahru. In return, China expressed its readiness to consider a portion of the US$10 billion infrastructure fund allocated for ASEAN countries for that project. Shortly after Najib’s China visit, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said he welcomed China’s call for mutual recognition of universities in both countries. There are about 10,000 Chinese students studying in Malaysia, but some of them might face difficulty getting jobs back home because their degrees might not be recognised there. Khaled said universities that collaborate with Malaysian universities will be given priority in the recognition process. Thailand
Shortly after his China trip in early June, Najib played host to his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva, who made an official visit to Malaysia.
The religious tension in southern Thailand was a big topic of discussion between the two leaders. They agreed to visit religious schools in southern Thailand to send the right signal to the locals in the area.
It was revealed that Malaysia’s proposed oil pipeline project stretching from Kedah to Songkhla – which has been in the works since the days of Mahathir – has been referred to Thailand’s energy ministry and its National Committee on Energy. Abhisit, who chairs the energy committee, pledged to give the proposal due attention and consideration.
United States of America
Another country Malaysia had testy relations with during Mahathir’s time was the US, which is also one of Malaysia’s biggest trading partner and foreign direct investor. In continuing Pak Lah's effort to smooth out relationships with the US, Najib spoke to US President Barack Obama on the telephone for about 20 minutes in late June, during which the two men spoke about various international issues.
Najib characterised the “long conversation” he had with Obama as a signal that the president acknowledges Malaysian leadership on international issues. Najib used the occasion to invite Obama to visit Malaysia. He later wrote in his blog that if the US president were to visit Malaysia, he would be able to observe how Islam was applied in a plural, multiracial society like Malaysia. In his recent address to the Muslim world in Cairo, Obama had cited Malaysia as an example of a progressive Muslim-majority country. Najib said the conversation left him with a sense of optimism towards Malaysia’s relationship with the US. “I look forward to renewing Malaysia’s ties with the United States under President Obama’s administration and hope to explore solutions and opportunities to mutually benefit both countries in the immediate and long term,” he said. A diplomatic PM
Najib has been busy building ties with Malaysia’s neighbours in the region, and his visits to Singapore and China generated plenty of goodwill. While many have likened him to Mahathir when it comes to dealing with the opposition and in matters pertaining to civil liberties, in the area of foreign affairs he is more akin to Pak Lah, who was ever the diplomat. Read Part 1: On leadership Read Part 2: On economic reforms
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