Nicknamed “The Punisher” for his tough anti-drug stand, the 71-year-old is expected to focus on the ruthless Abu Sayyaf militant group which has been causing problems for the Philippines and Malaysia with their string of kidnappings for ransom.

The former mayor of Davao City has raised eyebrows around the globe with his support for extra-judicial killings of drug pushers – the cause of the current spat between the Philippines and the United States.

The Star reported that on his first visit to Kuala Lumpur as president since taking office on June 30, Duterte will discuss the multinational effort to counter piracy in the Straits of Malacca and the kidnapping-cum-terror activities of the Abu Sayyaf.

“We have a lot to talk about piracy, kidnapping and criminality in the Malacca Strait.

“It’s very important that Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines talk about these and come up with solutions once and for all,” Duterte said in Manila.

Having already discussed a unified policing effort with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the Philippine leader will be eager to consult Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Duterte also wants both sides to address what he called “border crossings” of pirates and terrorists to the Philippine island of Sulu, an Abu Sayyaf hotbed located in waters between the two countries.

The Najib-Duterte meeting will be closely watched after a testy start. During his presidential campaign, Duterte appeared to recognise the claim of the Sulu “sultanate” over Sabah which irked Wisma Putra.

A diplomatic official said the meeting will also give both leaders an opportunity to share notes on their highly-publicised and successful trips to China.

Another item on the agenda will be the Filipino domestic workers in Malaysia.

Duterte is also scheduled to address them and thousands of other Filipinos based here.

Both countries enjoy a healthy two-way flow of trade and investments, with bilateral trade totalling US$4.64bil (RM19.5bil) in 2015.