SHANGHAI: Malaysia will strengthen its cooperation with China, particularly by enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies and intelligence sharing to tackle cross-border crime.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the effort aligns with the commitment of both countries, which recently extended their agreement on cooperation to combat cross-border crime.
The agreement, signed in Beijing in June, will remain in effect until 2034.
"This cooperation is crucial for achieving success. It means that if there is drug activity, cybercrime, or scams, both countries must be committed to sharing intelligence information.
"We also agree to deepen this cooperation as we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations with China.
"This will include more frequent meetings between enforcement agencies in both countries, as well as high-level discussions among senior officials," he told Malaysian media today (Sept 8).
Saifuddin is accompanying Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who will lead the Malaysian delegation to the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum Lianyungang (GPSCFL) from today until tomorrow.
On the visit to China, both Saifuddin and Zahid were scheduled to hold discussions with State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong to discuss and refine aspects of their cooperation.
"During the meeting, we will discuss various issues related to cross-border crime. We will also touch on Asean +3, in which China is a strategic partner.
"Although the agenda is extensive, this closed meeting will focus on an in-depth discussion of the objectives of our cooperation," he said.
He said actions taken unilaterally by any country will not effectively address the problem of cross-border crime.
"At this forum, China raised several issues relevant to us. For example, China emphasised the importance of 'empowering the community,' which relates to reporting incidents, in which Malaysia already has a 999 emergency hotline for this purpose.
"We will share our experiences with China," he said, adding that Malaysia currently prioritises combating cross-border crime, particularly human trafficking and cybercrime or scams.
He added that refugee issues also pose a border threat, alongside issues such as smuggling of weapons, drugs and essential goods, as well as espionage.
"However, many of these crimes require our ability to highlight and address them effectively. Human trafficking and cybercrime are our top priorities," he said.
Saifuddin said during a conference which he attended in Laos recently, Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn, shared a global financial loss of US$1.02 trillion (RM4.41 trillion) due to this crime.
"At Asean level, during a previous meeting in Myanmar, it was reported that the losses amount to US$64 billion (RM277 billion), and this trend is expected to continue increasing," he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said Malaysia has removed piracy from its list of national priorities for cross-border crimes, replacing it with cybercrime.
"We have a list of 10 types of cross-border crime, with human trafficking remaining a priority.
"Asean's list is not easily changed or updated, and some countries still consider piracy a significant issue.
"Out of the 10, we are retaining eight, namely; terrorism, money laundering, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime, drug smuggling, wildlife and timber smuggling, and firearms smuggling," he said.