KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - The real and transformative results of the excellent relations that Malaysia and China have built do not compromise the country's sovereignty, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said on Friday (June 2).

"I will never sell Malaysia's sovereignty," he said at a ceremony to flag off China Construction Bank (Malaysia) Bhd's opening in Kuala Lumpur.

Datuk Seri Najib said relations between China and Malaysia were in everybody's interest, rejecting opposition politicians' contention that he had sold the country to China.

"Malaysia has long been a country open and friendly to all. The fact that we are a preferred destination for foreign direct investment is a testament to the confidence other countries have in us, whether that be Japan or China, India, Saudi Arabia or even the western countries," he said.

"To turn away these investments out of a narrow and foolish belief, and a fundamental misunderstanding of economics, would only be bad for this country," he said.

China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for the last eight years and President Xi Jinping recently said that bilateral relations between the two nations were at their best ever.

"Some people seem to think that it is better to have loss-making companies that are 100 per cent Malaysian owned instead of smaller percentage in a company that stands to gain access into bigger markets, economies of scale and cutting edge technology. I ask you, which one will create more wealth and jobs for Malaysians? The answer is obvious," Najib pointed out.

In answering critics who said the investments from China were "too much, too fast, too soon", he said, "If you want to delay Malaysia's development, if you want Malaysia to fall behind, and if you don't want jobs to be created or levels of income to rise, then you go and campaign on that platform."

"I will never apologise for facilitating investment in Malaysia," he declared.