Prior to that, he said he would complete his working visit to Asean countries, beginning with Brunei, which is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

“I’ll complete Asean first before going to the Middle East. I am waiting for the date, probably in March or after the Parliament session.

“After that, it will be China,” he said when met by reporters after attending a Keluarga Malaysia Lou Sang Chinese New Year luncheon here today.

Malaysia established diplomatic relations with China in 1974, the first country in Asean to do so. Since then, the two countries have forged close ties and developed partnerships for mutual benefit in various areas.

Indonesia was the first country that Ismail had visited after he took office as the ninth prime minister on Aug 21 last year.