Former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau has been appointed the CEO of the Malaysia-China Business Council (MCBC), effective today.

MCBC chairperson Tan Kok Wai said Hew's appointment was to "to further promote the businesses of the council (and to) strengthen the business cooperation between Malaysia and China."

Tan, the DAP national chairperson, said Hew was an expert on China given his "decade-long business management experience" in the country.

He added that Hew was a competent candidate with a good grasp of international diplomacy.

Hew quit DAP in July 2016 after receiving criticism over a Facebook post stating that the South China Sea belongs to Beijing.

Popularly known as 'Superman' for wearing attire sporting the comic book hero's logo, Hew is viewed as a divisive figure due to his fiery and sometimes profanity-laden speeches.

Before Tan's appointment as chairperson last year, other previous chairpersons of MCBC – seen as important in Malaysia-China ties – included MCA's Ong Ka Ting and former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam.