‘Malaysia open to US trade pact’

Najib seeks mutually beneficial outcome from meeting with Trump

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is open to a bilateral trade agreement with the United States, says Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said there was a possibility this could be discussed during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House next week.

He said the Trump administration had shown a preference for bilateral free trade agreements, compared to a multilateral pact.

“Malaysia is open to it, we will begin some preliminary discussions,” he told reporters after chairing the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting here yesterday.

Najib, who is scheduled to meet Trump on Tuesday, said another option available to Malaysia was to consider a multilateral arrangement within the grouping of 11 Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries, minus the US.

However, he said there was a downside to this – the market size of the economies of these 11 countries was just 25% of the original TPP with the US accounting for 75% of the combined GDP of the countries.

He said his main message to Trump would be that Malaysia would remain a “reliable partner” of the US in trade, investment, security and combating terrorism.

Najib said besides his four-eyed meeting with Trump, a delegation meeting would also be held. A meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence is also on the cards.

“We also have some initiatives which I will announce after my discussions with President Trump.

“I would like to see this as a mutually beneficial partnership with the US. It will not be a one-way street,” he said.

He described the US as significant in terms of Malaysia’s economic growth.

“At the same time we are also becoming an exporter of capital as a nation, so we can also play our part in terms of opportunities in the US,” he added.

On the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, Najib said he would launch a Malaysian humanitarian mission today in aid of the refugees who have fled to Bangladesh.

Asked whether Malaysia would accept any possible influx of the Rohingya following the recent flare-up of violence in Rakhine state, Najib said this would be looked at on a humanitarian basis.

“At the same time, we cannot be hosting so many of the Rohingya in our country, we have to solve the problem at its source,” he added.

On the Barisan Nasional meeting, Najib, who is the ruling coalition’s chairman, said all component parties agreed that the top leadership would have the final say on candidates and seat allocation for the next general election.

Najib said the election preparation by component parties was improving and would be stepped up over the next few weeks.