On Thursday, a news agency reported that local internet users had mistaken a China-made video about Melaka to be a promotional video created by the Malaysian government, with netizens questioning the lack of Malay representation in the video.

“This video is not by our ministry or any of our agencies,” said Tiong.

“People are promoting Melaka (as) perhaps they had a good experience travelling there. It’s up to them if they want to promote Melaka. Why do we want to make this an issue?” he said at an event hosted by Chinese tourism company JD.com.

AFP news service reported that the video came from a programme by China’s Guangxi TV to celebrate the 50th anniversary of China-Malaysia relations.

Tiong urged local internet users to be prudent in sharing content and avoid sensationalising issues that will affect national unity and harmony.

“Don’t create unnecessary issues that can cause misunderstanding. We must learn how to respect each other,” he added.