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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s emphatic backing of Beijing’s position on Taiwan has won praise and diplomatic goodwill from mainland China, even as Kuala Lumpur may face greater friction over its courting of Taiwanese semiconductor investments.
Analysts said the remarks did not change Malaysia’s long-standing one-China policy, but their unusually categorical tone went beyond the typical formulation and could reinforce perceptions of closer alignment with Beijing.
The more tangible potential trade-off may be commercial, particularly as Malaysia competes for future Taiwanese hi-tech investment, observers add.
Anwar made the remarks during an Al Jazeera interview released on Sunday, declaring: “I see Taiwan as part of China, period.”
When challenged on the status of the self-governed island, he said: “We may disagree, there are some excesses. Yes, express your view. It is one China. It’s accepted by all.”
Asked whether he would condemn Beijing if it resorted to force over Taiwan, Anwar drew a parallel with Malaysia, saying he would use force to preserve the country’s unity if one of its states sought to break away.

Beijing endorsed the comments on Wednesday, saying it “appreciates the remarks by Prime Minister Anwar” and reiterating that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and China must and will be reunited”.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry condemned the remarks, arguing that Anwar’s “one-sided support for China could negatively impact Taiwanese businesses’ confidence in investing in Malaysia”.
It also warned that rhetoric supporting unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through the threat of force “severely damages political trust between Taiwan and Malaysia”.
The remarks also drew criticism from Taiwanese social media users, who accused Anwar of disregarding the views of the island’s 23 million people and lending support to Beijing’s threat of force.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington opposes any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
On Thursday, Anwar stood by his remarks, telling local media that maintaining Malaysia’s position was consistent with its long-standing one-China policy.
Strategic calculus
Malaysia has maintained diplomatic relations with Beijing since 1974 and recognises the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.
In a joint statement with Beijing in 2024, Malaysia reaffirmed its commitment to the one-China policy and its opposition to Taiwanese independence.
But analysts said the significance of Anwar’s remarks lay more in how emphatically he adopted Beijing’s framing of the issue, particularly on the possible use of force.

Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said Malaysia’s 1974 communique establishing relations with Beijing acknowledged its claim over Taiwan without endorsing it.
By 2004, Malaysia had recognised Beijing’s claim, but “it did not at the time, however, endorse the use of force in pursuit of that claim”, Chong said. “Anwar has effectively endorsed the use of force, so it would seem.”
The distinction is notable given Anwar’s repeated framing of Malaysia as a fiercely independent actor unwilling to be drawn into major-power rivalry. As recently as July, he declared that the country’s foreign policy would remain “independent”, “proactive and non-aligned”, while retaining the right to take positions based on national interest.
Amir Fareed Rahim, strategy director at risk consultancy KRA Group, said Malaysia had never pursued strict equidistance between China and the United States, but had instead sought strategic autonomy through productive relations with competing powers.
Anwar’s remarks did not formally change Malaysia’s one-China policy, he said, but their “unusually categorical tone risks narrowing the diplomatic space Malaysia has traditionally preserved”.
“Beijing’s praise and Taipei’s sharp response show that the comments are unfortunately being interpreted as alignment rather than neutrality,” Amir said, adding that repeated interventions of this kind could eventually prompt regional partners and investors to question whether Malaysia’s non-alignment was increasingly tilting towards China.
Chip stakes
The more immediate cost to Malaysia may be commercial, particularly as it seeks to build itself into a more important semiconductor hub and compete for the next wave of investment as manufacturers diversify production across Southeast Asia.
Taiwanese chip packaging and testing group Chipbond Technology opened a nearly US$200 million manufacturing plant in the northern state of Penang in February, part of Malaysia’s drive to move beyond its traditional strength in semiconductor assembly and testing into more advanced parts of the value chain.
Trade between Malaysia and Taiwan surged 34.7 per cent year on year to 147.75 billion ringgit (US$36 billion) in the first half of 2026, with Malaysian exports jumping 66.5 per cent on strong demand for electrical and electronic products, according to government trade agency Matrade.

Kristy Hsu, director of the Taiwan Asean Studies Centre at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said Anwar had moved beyond a routine declaration of Malaysia’s one-China policy by appearing to accept Beijing’s framing of Taiwan while drawing an analogy with the use of force against secession.
She did not expect existing Taiwanese investments to be significantly affected, however, since semiconductor expansion in Malaysia was largely driven by production needs, diversification and demands from major US customers.
“These supply-chain decisions are based on commercial considerations, production capacity and customer requirements, so they are unlikely to be reversed simply because of one political statement,” Hsu told This Week in Asia.
She said the greater challenge would emerge when companies decided where to place their next wave of investment, with Vietnam and the Philippines also competing for Taiwanese semiconductor and AI-linked manufacturing.
“If Malaysia is perceived as moving closer to Beijing while other Asean economies deepen strategic and technology ties with the US, that could affect Malaysia’s relative attractiveness for the next wave of Taiwanese semiconductor investment.”


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Anwar’s Taiwan remarks put Malaysia’s Beijing calculus in focus

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Analysts say the comments did not change Malaysia’s one-China policy, but could reinforce perceptions of closer alignment with Beijing


Analysts say the comments did not change Malaysia’s one-China policy, but could reinforce perceptions of closer alignment with Beijing.


Anwar’s Taiwan remarks put Malaysia’s Beijing calculus in focus

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Analysts say the comments did not change Malaysia’s one-China policy, but could reinforce perceptions of closer alignment with Beijing

Analysts say the comments did not change Malaysia’s one-China policy, but could reinforce perceptions of closer alignment with Beijing