Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak praised Chinese tycoon Jack Ma for his commitment towards Malaysia's digital economy and also praised him for giving a positive meaning to the Malay word "alibaba".

Speaking at the launch of Malaysia's digital free trade zone (DFTZ) in Kuala Lumpur, Najib said the word "alibaba" referred to rent-seeking in Malaysia but Ma had changed this through the success of online trading giant Alibaba Group which the latter founded.

"Alibaba is not considered a thief in the Malaysian context, it's considered a rent seeker... just takes commission...