KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Saturday (Jan 21) that he looks forward to working with President Donald Trump, despite the latter's announcement of US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact (TPP).

"I am confident that under his and my leadership, the relationship between the U.S. and Malaysia will strengthen and we will be steadfast partners for peace and prosperity in the region," Datuk Seri Najib said in a statement.

The TPP is a landmark trade deal that the United States signed with 11 Pacific Rim nations, including Singapore and Malaysia. However, the US has not ratified the pact.

Mr Najib said Mr Trump took office at a time when "politicians can never take voters for granted" and the new president "spoke for an America that felt it had been ignored for too long".

The Malaysian prime minister is known to have forged friendship with Mr Trump years ago at a golfing game in New York.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters in his constituency that security cooperation between the two countries would remain unchanged under Mr Trump's leadership.

"In the long term, despite a change in the president, all policies and cooperation established earlier, such as crime prevention, will remain in force," Datuk Seri Zahid said, according to state newswire Bernama.

Mr Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said an existing memorandum of understanding is in place for the transfer of prisoners and deradicalisation programme for terrorists.

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