BUDGET 2018 | Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has taken a swing at those who criticised the foreign investments his administration has secured, particularly from China.

His targets, Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

"Recently I got news, that the Selangor Menteri Besar (Azmin) had gone to the Chinese mainland. Really?

"That's what I heard. Is he trying to sell off Selangor?" Najib said while tabling Budget 2018 in Parliament today.

Najib's critics have often accused him of trying to sell off the country by taking on loans and contractors from China.

"People say be careful if you want to spit into the sky it may hit you in the face.

"This is not counting Bagan's (Lim) overseas trips... How about that? Is he selling the state (Penang) too?" the prime minister added.

The opposition heckled throughout this part of his speech, but Najib was unfazed and continued with his budget speech.

Azmin had embarked on a trade mission to China last month, while Lim did the same last year.

Earlier, Najib highlighted how Malaysia had successfully improved trade and economic ties with countries such as China, the United States, and Saudi Arabia.

He said as a result of this, private investments in Malaysia have surged from RM81 billion in 2009 to over RM211 billion in 2016 alone.

"So if I or my cabinet members have an official visit overseas, don't simply accuse us of undermining our country's sovereignty," he said.

Meanwhile, Azmin and Lim both took to Twitter to respond to Najib's jibe.

In his tweet, Lim said when he went to the US, it was to secure investments, and not give out US$4 billion from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

This is in reference to Najib's pledge to US President Donald Trump last month that the EPF would increase its US investments by up to US$4 billion.

Lim had visited the US in 2009.

As for Azmin, the PKR deputy president responded with a 1MDB-related joke.

"Dear Najib, I went to China to look for Jho Low. Hahaha," he tweeted.

Low is a 1MDB-linked businessperson, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

He is accused of having been a major figure in the alleged misappropriation of 1MDB funds.

Malaysiakini's Budget 2018 microsite

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