WCEF: Najib invited because of his commitment to M'sia-China relations

The World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF) invited former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak as a keynote speaker because of his commitment to Malaysia-China bilateral relations.

WCEF chairperson Cheah Chyuan Yong said Najib's conviction by the High Court over the SRC International Sdn Bhd affair was not considered by the forum organisers.

"When Najib was prime minister for nine years, China-Malaysia relations were very strong, especially on the economic side," he told reporters at the sidelines of the forum.

Moreover, he said Najib's father and second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, laid the foundations for bilateral ties between the two countries.

He said Najib's invitation was sent out before the Dec 8 Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the High Court's verdict to convict Najib.

Last July, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years’ jail and fined RM210 million for three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering, and one count of abuse of power.

Among others, Najib was convicted for pocketing RM42 million from SRC International - a state-owned company.

Apart from being a keynote speaker, Najib will also be the special guest for WCEF's gala dinner and award ceremony tonight.

The WCEF is a one-day conference in Kuala Lumpur organised by the Malaysia-based International Strategy Institute (ISI), Chinese government-owned China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) and CCOIC's business unit China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

The first WCEF was held in 2009. At the time, it was jointly organised by Country Heights Holdings Bhd, Easy Pha-max and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli).

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