Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has urged Malaysians to emulate the "hunger for success" displayed by the people of China, following his recent state visit to the country.

Najib said China's high population drives its people to want to succeed in life, for fear of losing out to their peers.

"I just came back from China and from what I saw of the situation there, I can conclude that with a population of 1.3 billion, to succeed there, as the Westerners say, you must be hungry for success."