Wee said he had been invited to join Anwar on his visit and had paid for the trip himself.

“I would like to stress that not a single sen of the rakyat’s money was used,” he said in a Facebook post. “The claim we misused public funds is baseless and not true.”

Other MCA leaders who also made the trip had paid out of their own pocket. Wee added: “Why did Teng Chang Khim attack us in such a despicable manner?”

Teng, who is the assemblyman for Bandar Baru Klang, Selangor, claimed that Wee had misused public funds when he met with the international department of the Chinese Communist Party.

Teng said Wee’s meeting was a misuse of public funds as it was between political parties and did not qualify as an official visit.

Wee said the meeting had been arranged for some time and discussions had revolved around promoting bilateral ties.