Anwar's Taiwan remarks test Malaysia's hedging strategy — SkimNews
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- Anwar Ibrahim said in an August 16 Al Jazeera interview that "I see Taiwan as part of China, period," and appeared to accept Beijing's argument that force could be justified to prevent a province from "breaking away"
- Taiwan's Foreign Ministry accused Anwar of legitimizing force against the island and warned his "one-sided support for China could negatively impact Taiwanese businesses' confidence" in Malaysia's strategically important semiconductor sector
- Anwar called two days later for strengthening Malaysian defenses in Sabah, citing US-backed military facilities on the Philippine island of Balabac — roughly 50km from Malaysian islands and one of four sites added to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2023
- Malaysia has formally followed a "One China" policy since 1974; Chinese state media Xinhua reported Anwar had "reaffirmed the one-China principle," which Malaysian analysts told DW isn't accurate
- Anwar later told Malaysian media he wanted peaceful cross-strait resolution and that Malaysia's position had not changed, while planning a late-September China trip to meet Premier Li Qiang at the Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou — his first visit in over a year
- Kuala Lumpur continues to reject Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea that overlap its waters, with Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan reiterating in February that Malaysia would not recognize conflicting Beijing claims and Anwar insisting oil and gas exploration would continue despite Chinese objections
Why it matters: Malaysia's chip-testing and packaging capacity makes it valuable to both Washington and Beijing, and analysts quoted in the piece stress that neither superpower gains from pushing Kuala Lumpur to one side — yet Anwar's three consecutive state election defeats and the narrowing space for hedging mean any perceived tilt toward Beijing now carries a higher cost, even as Malaysia continues to push back against Chinese South China Sea claims.
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