KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today defended his government’s tilt towards China, saying he was only continuing the “Look East” policy proposed by his predecessor-turned nemesis, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib, who was speaking at the MCA annual general assembly here described the move to forge closer ties with the communist republic as inevitable as China has become a major economic power.

“What is the difference between investments from China and investment from Japan or (South) Korea? or investment from the US? If Dr Mahathir said look East, I am looking East too,” the Pekan MP said in his speech.

“What I did is merely to add another country, China, because China has become the world’s biggest economy,” he added.

Dr Mahathir claimed recently Malaysia’s sovereignty has been compromised after Putrajaya sold several key assets that included prime land to China.

Najib had recently secured a RM144 billion deal from the communist republic. Among the major deals was to construct the RM55 billion East Coast Rail Line that will span across four states.

The prime minister said approaching China was a pragmatic decision, noting that only the country with over two billion people had the “surplus capital” to give Malaysia loans for development.

“Who can give loans like the Chinese Exim (Export-Import) Bank? Who can give a seven year moratorium? A loan stretching 20 years? Only China,” he said.

Najib also criticised the opposition for what he deemed as an attempt to confuse the public over Putrajaya's deal to build the ECRL, saying the issue was heavily politicised despite the project being beneficial for the people.

He called the opposition offensive on the matter “politics of hate.”

“Who is going to benefit from the ECRL? Its Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang..do not be like the opposition who only wants to deny everything we do.

“This is politics of hate. Do not think that I do not know the art of psywar. If they don't nurture hate among the public they confuse them,” he said.

Amid attacks, Najib said Malaysia will embrace governments which respect the sovereignty of other states as the era of foreign intervention is over as he looks to strengthen ties with China.

In an editorial in a Chinese state-run paper, China Daily the Prime Minister sought to explain his administration’s move to increase trade and cooperation with China, pointing out the both countries have had a long history of cooperation dating back to the Malacca Sultanate.

Calling it the “Asian Century,” Najib said that China and Malaysia must continue working on the partnership forged by his father, the late Tun Abdul Razak in 1974, as well as the ties originally established by the early Ming Dynasty when the first Chinese trade envoys arrived in Melaka centuries ago.