MELBOURNE - AUSTRALIAN Foreign Minister Stephen Smith hailed improvements in Canberra's sometimes fraught relations with Malaysia on Sunday as he and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd prepared to visit the Asian nation.

Mr Smith will make his first official trip to Malaysia on Monday for two days of talks with his counterpart Datuk Anifah Aman, while Mr Rudd will make a flying visit to Kuala Lumar on Monday to meet Malaysian leader Najib Razak.

Relations between the two countries hit a low in 1993 when the then prime minister Paul Keating called Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad 'recalcitrant' and have seldom been cordial since.

But Mr Smith said there had been recent improvements, which he hoped to build on during his trip.

'The relationship, in recent historical terms, has had its moments,' Mr Smith told Channel Nine television.

'We want to, and have, put that behind us but it is, we think, open to both Australia and Malaysia to further enhance and entrench a very good relationship.' Mr Smith said he would discuss a range of issues including regional security and the need for close cooperation in response to the global recession.

He said the talks would also include trade and addressing the problem of people smuggling.

Malaysia is seen as a major staging post for boatpeople trying to reach Australia, with the Sydney Morning Herald quoting Indonesian officials last month as saying up to 10,000 would-be asylum seekers in Malaysia were ready to set off. -- AFP