Anwar Ibrahim made the remarks in an interview with Chinese media outlet Guancha.

“We have made a decision, we will be placing the formal procedures soon… we are just waiting for the final results from the government in South Africa,” Anwar said, according to a video of the interview posted by Guancha on Sunday.

A representative from Anwar’s office on Tuesday confirmed his comments to Reuters.

During the interview, he did not provide further details on the application process.

Anwar’s comments came ahead of a three-day visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang this week, as part of celebrations marking the 50th year of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.