KUCHING: Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China with ministerial status.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement yesterday said the appointment of Tiong, who is also the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president, would strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and China especially in trade and investment.
Previously, he had served as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for East Asia from 2014 to 2018.
Tiong had rejected the Deputy National Unity Minister’s post in the new federal Cabinet. According to PDP secretary-general Datuk Nelson Balang Rining the “Cabinet post does not befit his position as president of the party”.
“He is very senior in terms of his position in the party and has also served a long-time member of parliament,” said Balang.
Tiong, who has been the Bintulu MP since 1999, has also held the position of Kelab Penyokong Kerajaan Barisan Nasional chairman from 2008 to 2018.
