Former premier Najib Abdul Razak blamed Pakatan Harapan's attacks on Chinese investments for the sharp drop in tourists from China, which has also affected durian traders.

“Among the biggest games before GE14 against me was the issue of Malaysia's relationship with China and Chinese investments when I was prime minister.

“The game and criticism continued after GE14 and have created a huge negative impact on our economy,” he said in a Facebook posting this afternoon.

Najib cited media reports that tourists from China to Malaysia have dropped as much as 35 percent for the first time.

Before this, the former premier said, the number of tourists from China increased every year.

“Unfortunately the number has reduced drastically until 'Musang King' durian traders are reported to be suffering losses.

“Not only durians and tourists, the export of palm oil has also dropped drastically after GE14. Good diplomatic relations are important,” he added.

Najib noted that the tourism sector is among the biggest in Malaysia, contributing 13.7 percent (RM168 billion) of the economy in 2016.

"The sector also contributes directly and indirectly in creating 1.73 million jobs.

"I hope the drop in tourists from China will be remedied as soon as possible as millions of rakyat are depending on this sector as their source of income," he added.