PETALING JAYA: China was said to have offered the former Barisan Nasional (BN) government under Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak a deal to bail out 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in return for contracts.
This was part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” agenda, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
WSJ today reported that there were undisclosed minutes from meetings between Malaysian and Chinese officials.
It cited sources from the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration as saying China wanted to use its power and influence to gain more information on 1MDB investigations as well as get them called off.
“Notes from that meeting said Malaysia was working to enhance bilateral ties, citing support Mr. Najib voiced for China’s position in the South China Sea during a regional summit in Laos,” it wrote.
“Two months later Najib went to Beijing and signed the deals. Together with other projects, they made Malaysia the second-biggest recipient of One Belt, One Road funding after Pakistan.”
The WSJ article was written by by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope — the authors of Billion Dollar Whale.
It also reported clandestine talks between Najib and Chinese officials to allow naval ships from China to dock at Malaysian ports when BN was in power.
