After the Philippines, now Malaysia embraces China

Beijing

MALAYSIA'S prime minister arrived in China on Monday with warm words for his hosts, a thirst for Chinese money and, for the first time, a promise of significantly closer defence ties with the purchase of Chinese naval coastal patrol ships.

Najib Razak called himself a "true friend" of China, determined to take their relationship to "new heights" - echoing the pro-China outreach by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte just two weeks ago when he proclaimed a "separation" from his country's long-time US-oriented policies.