Anwar denies endorsing China’s use of force against Taiwan, says Malaysia’s policy unchanged

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended his remarks on China and Taiwan in a recent Al Jazeera interview, rejecting opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin’s criticism and insisting that Malaysia’s One China policy remains unchanged.

Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that he had not endorsed China’s use of military force against Taiwan, which had angered Taipei.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Hamzah (PN-Larut), who asked why the prime minister needed to ‘rock the boat’ with his comments.

Hamzah said Malaysia had long adhered to the One China policy while maintaining good trade relations with Taiwan.

‘I urge everyone to listen carefully to my interview,’ Anwar said.

‘Did I say I agreed that China should attack Taiwan? I said no. I said: “We support the One China policy.” Secondly, I said: “We believe there should be an amicable resolution through peaceful efforts.”

‘When asked about a possible invasion, I said that was purely a domestic matter in which we would not interfere.’

Anwar said Hamzah appeared to be overly sensitive and was not following diplomatic developments closely.

Anwar says Malaysia’s position unchanged

Anwar also rejected Hamzah’s suggestion that Malaysia adopt a new diplomatic approach to ease tensions, saying the terminology used to describe its engagement with Taiwan was important.

He said Malaysia had maintained a committee to coordinate investment and economic matters with Taiwan since 1974, but stressed that this did not amount to state-to-state negotiations.

Hamzah had warned that Anwar’s remarks could affect Malaysia’s economic interests, claiming the stock market had fallen by between 9% and 10% in November.

He also said neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand could use the issue to attract Taiwanese investors by offering incentives.

In response, Anwar said the electrical and electronics, artificial intelligence and data centre sectors had also experienced temporary declines in other countries.

No sign of Taiwanese investors pulling out

Anwar later said there was no indication that Taiwanese investors were withdrawing or suspending new investments in Malaysia following his remarks.

He said checks with the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) the previous day found that Taiwanese companies’ operations and investments in the country were continuing as usual.

‘Discussions at Miti’s forum yesterday showed that Taiwanese investors had no plans to withdraw or stop making new investments in Malaysia,’ he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.

He was responding to Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi), who asked about reports that Taiwan had suspended investment talks with Malaysia following Anwar’s comments in an Al Jazeera interview in August, in which he described Taiwan as part of China.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei was reported as saying the decision was made in consideration of the island’s national sovereignty and economic security, as well as to safeguard the interests of Taiwanese investors.

Anwar said a bilateral economic cooperation meeting had been postponed, but clarified that it involved the economic cooperation committee rather than formal diplomatic negotiations.

He said the government, through the Foreign Ministry and Miti, had requested that the meeting proceed to ensure trade and investment ties remained unaffected.

Anwar said Malaysia’s total trade with Taiwan reached RM254.21 billion between January and September 2026. Exports rose 88% to RM116.58 billion, while imports increased 24.2% to RM137.63 billion.

Government vows to protect economic ties

Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) questioned the need for such strong remarks on Taiwan, saying trade relations between the two sides had been smooth for a long time.

Anwar acknowledged that his comments had been more forceful and might have displeased some quarters in Taiwan, but stressed that Malaysia’s position on the One China policy had remained unchanged since 1974.

He said Malaysia must uphold its foreign policy principles as an independent and sovereign nation while safeguarding its economic interests.

Anwar cited Malaysia’s firm stance against Israel’s actions in Palestine and Gaza, which had drawn criticism from several countries, including the US, but had not prevented trade and investment ties from continuing.

‘We will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that our trade and investment relations with Taiwan remain good,’ he said.