Malaysia remains neutral despite cooperation with China and the US
BERNAMA
September 27, 2023
Malaysia has never changed that stance and even the two superpowers remain the biggest investors in the country.
Malaysia remains neutral despite cooperation with China and the US
Malaysia has never changed that stance and even the two superpowers remain the biggest investors in the country.
BEIJING: Malaysia remains a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) country despite establishing international trade cooperation with two competing superpowers, namely China and the United States.
Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Johari Abdul said Malaysia has never changed its position and even the two superpowers remain the biggest investors in the country.
He said following the economic paradigm shift to the Asian region, Malaysia should also strengthen trade relations with China, which is increasingly advanced in the field of economy and technology.
"Anyone who wants to do business with us, we do business... but it is more important when there is now a wave of economic exchange to Asia.
"If the 19th century belonged to the British and Europe, the 20th century to the United States and now the 21st century, a change occurred when economic development showed that Asia was the place to be.
"If Malaysia does not take advantage of this Asian economic wave, there is definitely something wrong with us," he said in a special interview with Bernama in conjunction with his official visit to Beijing, China.
He said this when answering a question about how Malaysia balances the world's perception of the country's actions that establish diplomatic cooperation and international trade with China and the United States.
Johari said Malaysia as the host country of the ASEAN Summit in 2025 must have a clear direction in line with the wave of economic change to the region.
Thus, he said cooperation and diplomatic relations with China open opportunities for Malaysia to set a direction in leading ASEAN.
"Imagine when we become Chairman, what and how will we lead ASEAN if we don't talk about the rise of Asia and its economy.
"We don't want to talk about politics and war... for me, what we will highlight, debate and do when the time comes in 2025 is that we aim for the great position of our people and this region," he said.
He described the agenda and direction as noble and good, therefore the country should collaborate with China to maximize Malaysia's potential in the region.
Johari, who led the Malaysian Parliament delegation, ended his official visit to the republic at the invitation of his counterpart, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress of China (NPC) Zhao Leji, today.
During the visit since Sept 23, Johari held a bilateral meeting with Zhao, Chairman of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Wang Huning and Chinese President Xi Jinping in addition to attending the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games and visiting several large companies in the country in the field of technology, renewable energy, agriculture and artificial intelligence (AI).
