Don’t lecture us, ex-colonialists told

> PM says larger countries should treat smaller ones fairly

BEIJING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said former colonial powers should not lecture countries they once exploited on their internal affairs, a Chinese newspaper reported yesterday.

Najib, who is on a six-day visit to China, said in an editorial in the state-run China Daily that larger countries should treat smaller countries fairly.

He also said disputes over the South China Sea issue should be resolved through dialogue in accordance with the rule of law.

China is claiming most of the area, through which about US$5 trillion (RM20.95 trillion) in ship-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have also laid claims.

“When it comes to the South China Sea, we firmly believe that overlapping territorial and maritime disputes should be managed calmly and rationally through dialogue, in accordance with the rule of law and peaceful negotiations,” he said.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said on Tuesday that Malaysia had pledged with Beijing to handle South China Sea disputes bilaterally.

Malaysia also agreed to buy four Chinese naval vessels and signed 14 business worth a total of RM143.64 billion ringgit.

Najib said Malaysia welcomed the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which marks a turning point “of peaceful dialogue, not foreign intervention, in sovereign states”.

Global institutions needed to be

Najib receives applause after signing a plaque at Peacock Lake Park in Gu’an, that was designed with an advanced sewage water processing system.