KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Malaysia will not compromise its foreign policy principles for trade or investment interests, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, reaffirming the country’s longstanding One China policy while pledging to safeguard trade and investment ties with Taiwan.
He said Malaysia, as an independent and sovereign nation, would uphold its foreign policy position, adopted in 1974, despite possible objections from certain quarters in Taiwan.
However, he stressed that the government would take the necessary measures to safeguard trade and investment relations, with no indications so far that Taiwanese investors were withdrawing or withholding new investments following his recent remarks.
“We are maintaining relations to ensure investments are not affected. As I explained earlier, there are no signs of any impact on investments.
“There have been the usual political statements, which is why we have chosen not to respond,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Anwar was responding to supplementary questions from Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) and Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) on the potential impact of Malaysia’s position on Taiwan on trade, investment and foreign investor confidence.
Drawing parallels with Malaysia’s stance on Palestine and Gaza, the Prime Minister said the country’s criticism of Israel’s actions had drawn objections from several nations, including the United States, but had not prevented continued trade and investment ties.
Similarly, he said Malaysia’s position on the treatment of communities in Myanmar, including Rakhine, remained unchanged despite improving relations aimed at facilitating the return of refugees.
He said Malaysia’s exports to Taiwan had surged 88 per cent as of September this year, among the highest annual growth rates, driven by the electrical and electronics (E&E), semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI)-related sectors.
He said reports from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) also showed no signs of Taiwanese investors withdrawing or restricting new investments in Malaysia.
“We will take whatever measures are necessary to maintain good trade and investment relations with Taiwan without compromising our principles of national freedom and independence, a position we have upheld since 1974,” he said.
Responding to Datuk Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut), who raised concerns about the possible impact of his remarks on the stock market and investment, Anwar clarified that Malaysia had never expressed support for any Chinese military action against Taiwan.
“I did not say I agreed that China should attack Taiwan. I said we support the One China policy and we believe there should be an amicable resolution through peaceful efforts,” he said.
On bilateral economic engagement, Anwar said Malaysia maintained ties with Taiwan through working committees coordinating trade, investment and economic matters, rather than formal negotiations between two countries.
He said the distinction was important as Malaysia had no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, while the working committee mechanism had been in place since 1974.
