Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has underscored that his country's foreign policy always prioritizes national interests, upholds the principles of free trade, and promotes the well-being of the people amid uncertainties in the geopolitical landscape and global trade.
Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Malaysia in 12 years on April 15-16, China Media Group (CMG) and Malaysian media outlet Astro Awani sat down with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya to discuss the significance of Xi's visit, regional dynamics, and Malaysia's role in an increasingly complex global landscape.
Ibrahim reiterated Malaysia's support for free trade and expressed a desire for deeper cooperation despite headwinds in global trade caused by the United States' tariff policies.
"Malaysia's trade and investment relations with the United States remain strong, but we uphold the principles of free trade and encourage investment, provided that our self-interests are not jeopardized, as Malaysia is a free, independent, and sovereign country. Malaysia's policy will not waver. We will remain open -- that is our position -- and that happens to be the consensus of the ASEAN countries. We stand with China for the well-being of the people, for the economic and developmental interests of the country, and for the sovereignty and integrity of the country. We should not, and do not have to, be subjected to any other country, and we refuse to be intimidated by others. Our attitude is that we are friendly to whoever is friendly to us. We welcome China," said the prime minister.
Ibrahim spoke highly of Malaysia-China relations, saying that the key to the sound interactions between the two countries lies in equality, openness, and mutual respect.
"I must emphasize that China is a large country with robust economic development and powerful military strength, but we have never experienced any distress or pressure in our exchanges with China. It's of great significance to me that Malaysia and China uphold equality, engage in friendly consultation, and respect each other. We have candid dialogues. Of course, there is both consensus and inevitable differences in our exchanges, but we resolve all of them through friendly consultation," he said,
Xi arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on Tuesday for a state visit at the invitation of Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
After talks between Xi and Ibrahim on Wednesday afternoon, the two leaders jointly witnessed the exchange of over 30 cooperation documents covering a wide range of areas, including the digital economy, service trade, artificial intelligence, railways, and the protection of giant pandas.
The two sides also released a joint statement on building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future to accelerate their modernization efforts and jointly promote regional and global prosperity and stability.
Malaysia refuses to be intimidated by other countries over tariffs: PM
Malaysia refuses to be intimidated by other countries over tariffs: PM
Malaysia refuses to be intimidated by other countries over tariffs: PM
Malaysia refuses to be intimidated by other countries over tariffs: PM
