Najib hopes Trump will approve TPP

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

TOKYO: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has urged the incoming US administration to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Echoing  the call of his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister said he hoped that US President-elect Donald Trump would not revoke the TPP as he had pledged to do during the presidential campaign.

"On the TPP, we are on the same page as Japan. We have passed a resolution in Parliament to participate in the TPP.

"So the path is clear for Malaysia to go ahead with the TPP. I hope Prime Minister Abe's meeting with Trump in New York (on Thursday) will be successful.

"Malaysia and all TPP countries are very much awaiting the meeting," he told a joint news conference at the end of his bilateral talks with Abe at the latter's office here Wednesday.

In his remarks earlier, Abe, who will be the first world leader to meet with Trump, said he concurred with Najib that the TPP must be carried through.

"I look forward to working with Malaysia on this issue," he added.

On the High-Speed Rail project to connect Malaysia and Singapore, Najib confirmed that the bilateral agreement will be signed with Singapore in early December.

He said he had assured Japan that the international bidding process would be open and transparent.

Najib said the international  bidding would be opened sometime in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Abe said he had spoken of Japan's keen interest to participate in the project, which is estimated to cost between RM50bil and RM60bil.