MELBOURNE, Australia — Malaysia’s prime minister on Monday spoke up in defense of ties with China and complained over alleged pressure by the United States and its allies on regional nations to take sides in the West’s strategic rivalries with Beijing.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks came during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the Australian city of Melbourne, where Anwar is one of nine Asian leaders attending the gathering.
“Right now, China seems to be the leading investor into Malaysia,” said Anwar and insisted that Malaysians “do not have a problem with China.”
“We are an independent nation, we are fiercely independent, we do not want to be dictated by any force,” Anwar said.
“So while we remain … an important friend to the United States and Europe and here in Australia, they should not preclude us from being friendly to one of our important neighbors, precisely China,” he said, speaking at a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a staunch U.S. ally.
“If they have problems with China, they should not impose it upon us. We do not have a problem with China,” Anwar told reporters.
Anwar and Albanese announced several new bilateral agreements between Australia and Malaysia on cybersecurity, technology, clean energy, sports and education.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, left, stands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Governor of Victoria, Margaret Gardner, during a ceremonial welcome at Government House ahead of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, March 4, 2024. An increasingly assertive China and a humanitarian crisis in Myanmar are likely to be high on the agenda when Southeast Asian leaders meet in Australia for a rare summit March 4-6. Credit: AP/Hamish Blair
When asked about the term “China-phobia” that he first used in an interview last month with Financial Times, Anwar said he was responding to criticisms of…
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