The Foreign Affairs Ministry said it is the BN-led federal government, not Umno, that has ties with the People's Republic of China.

NONE Deputy minister Richard Riot said this when fielding a supplementary question during Question time in the Dewan Rakyat this morning.

Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena, right ) had asked the ministry to respond to reports that Umno had recently forged direct ties in a memorandum with the Communist Party of China.

He was referring to media reports that the signing of the memorandum - on youth leadership exchange - had been witnessed by Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor while on a working visit to China.

Riot however did not directly deny or confirm the existence of the memorandum.

He said that ties with foreign countries are forged irrespective of ideology or system of rule, insisting that Malaysia's ties with China have brought about great economic benefits to both sides.

Riot also argued that a country "deemed" to be a communist state is not necessarily communist, although Mahfuz continued to press his point.

mat indera At a press conference afterwards, Mahfuz termed Umno a "hypocrite" for forging close ties with a communist party overseas when it has attacked those it deems to be "glorifying communists" at home.

This was in relation to the spat over Mat Indera (left) , a Malay freedom fighter who is honoured by some for his anti-British sentiments, but criticised by others for his purported links with the Communist Party of Malaya.

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