KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will not succumb to any US pressure to downgrade its relationship with China, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar explained that while the United States had questioned Malaysia’s ties with Beijing, Malaysia emphasised China’s economic significance to the region.
The prime minister said this in response to interviewer Sami Zeidan’s query on whether the US has attempted to dictate Malaysia’s ties with China.
“We have not had any issues with them (China). I think it’s our duty, not only Malaysia’s but also Asean’s, to be independent and observe the principle of neutrality (while) doing what is best to focus on economic development, therefore increasing trade and enhancing investments.
“This has been duly conveyed to the US,” added Anwar, who is also finance minister.
Despite the US not explicitly asking Malaysia to downgrade relations with China, Anwar said Malaysia will not be responding to letters on the matter as it remains an independent nation with no partiality against any country.
“I know there have been missives, but we are not going to respond to that because America, cumulatively, is still the largest investor in Malaysia and new investments are still coming in.
“There is no bias in favour or against any country,” he said
Addressing the South China Sea dispute, Anwar noted that while it is an issue among Asean members, the situation is not overly tense.
“It is an issue, but the developments are not necessarily tense. Probably one or two (Asean) countries did raise concerns, but we use bilateral and call for multilateral mechanisms to continue discussions and negotiations,” he said.
“We have problems with all our neighbours in terms of the position of borders, but we are negotiating with them, (such as) the borders with Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and with Indonesia, as well as Sabah and the Philippines. But it is not tense.
“It’s civil, orderly discussions and negotiations. I think this will continue. Asean is a very strong, cohesive force,” Anwar added.
In September last year, Anwar emphasised that Malaysia must be fiercely independent as a sovereign nation and should not be forced to choose sides in the escalation of rivalry between the US and China. – May 19, 2024