The visit is important for Najib, who faces elections next year and wants to signal he is still welcome at the White House despite a criminal probe by the US Justice Department into a state fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Prime Minister Najib founded the fund, which is facing money laundering probes in at least six countries including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore. He has denied any wrongdoing. The White House said it would not comment on the US Department of Justice investigation.
“Investing in a long-term relationship between our countries, that in itself provides a foundation for us to address issues of concern, and that would include corruption and transparency,” a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump plans to talk with Prime Minister Najib about North Korea’s nuclear provocations, and ways the United States and Malaysia could do more to halt the expansion of Islamic State in southeast Asia, White House spokesman Sarah Sanders told reporters yesterday.
The South China Sea will also be part of the talks, as will trade and investment, Sanders said.
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Malaysia has increased military cooperation with the United States in the South China Sea, where it has overlapping claims with several countries.
Prime Minister Najib had once enjoyed close ties with President Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, playing golf with the Democratic president in Hawaii in 2014.
But relations cooled over the 1MDB scandal. The Justice Department sued to seize some $1.7 billion in assets it said were bought with misappropriated 1MDB funds.
The Obama administration had also become critical of a Malaysian government crackdown on the media and political opponents.
Prime Minister Najib, who has boasted about golfing with President Trump, is less likely to hear about human rights issues from the Republican.
“With Trump in the White House and his administration’s downplaying of human rights and democracy, Prime Minister Najib’s handling of the opposition is not likely to be a focus of the White House meeting,” Hiebert said.