‘Nobody can dictate’ Malaysia’s stance on China or US, Anwar says

Malaysia values open trade and no party should dictate its ties with the United States or China, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said, while stressing his country does not fear voicing disapproval of American tariffs or foreign policy.

Speaking at the Nikkei Forum Medini in Johor on Thursday, Anwar insisted that Kuala Lumpur was friends with all nations as a rules-based, trade-reliant economy and that its vocal criticism of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the US stance on the war in the Middle East had not stopped American businesses from expanding in Malaysia.

Anwar, who has been outspoken in his support of Palestine and blamed America for being complicit in Israel’s deadly war on Gaza, said Malaysia did not fear expressing its views despite being a relatively small country, “be it on the Israeli aggression and colonisation of Gaza or provocation to Iran”.

“But at the same time, we adopt the principle and policy of centrality. Nobody can dictate that we should be too friendly to Japan or China or the United States … We’re an open trading country, and the policy must be to protect the interests of this nation and our people,” Anwar said.

He noted that the US remained a key investor and trading partner, while tariff discussions with Washington were progressing. “Notwithstanding our differences in many of the foreign policy issues or this unilateral decision on tariffs, our relationship with the United States must remain strong.”