Malaysia summons Chinese envoy over domestic interference

KUALA LUMPUR - China's ambassador to Malaysia was summoned to the country's foreign ministry on Monday over concerns he had interfered in domestic affairs.

Ambassador Huang Huikang met with Malaysia's acting foreign minister Hamzah Zainuddin to clarify statements he made in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown on Friday ahead of a planned anti-Chinese demonstration by ethnic Malay groups. The envoy was reported to have said that China was opposed to any form of terrorism, racism or extremism against specific ethnic groups.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday that those remarks have "caused concern to the Malaysian public."

Some members of Malaysia's ruling party, the United Malays National Organization, viewed the remarks as domestic interference and demanded an apology from the envoy.

Ambassador Huang's visit to Chinatown came a day before a scheduled rally by the rightwing members of the UMNO to demand more business opportunities for ethnic Malays in the popular tourist spot. The rally was eventually called off after police arrested one of its leaders.

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