ASIATODAY.ID, KUALA LUMPUR – As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025, Malaysia is determined to promote closer ties with Russia, Malaysian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu told Sputnik late last year.
The US is so focused on the proxy war in Ukraine that it has has lost sight towards Asia, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told the Financial Times.
“Maybe they are focused on Europe, I don’t know. But certainly, they have reduced placing importance [on the region] other than general foreign policy statements,” Anwar said.
Washington’s neglect of its relationship with ASEAN has led to the US losing ground to China in south-east Asia, he argued.
“We engage well with the US but it does not engage the region as actively as it did in the past. China in that sense takes a more positive attitude,” said the PM.
He pointed to a series of visits by senior Chinese government figures to Malaysia, which formally takes over the annually rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.
“They give better access, you can meet them easily. We send ministers there, they send ministers,” Anwar said.
He defended the decision by regional nations like his country to engage constructively with China — and welcomed increased Chinese investment in infrastructure.
“It’s better for smaller economies such as Malaysia to extend its [ties] with China,” Anwar said.
The leader rejected the notion that ASEAN needed to be “tough” with China under Malaysia’s chairmanship.
“Why do we need to be tough? We disagree on many foreign policy issues with the US but we want them to be an important ally,” Anwar said. “With China, I don’t think it’s a matter of being tough against a strong, big neighbor.”
The PM played down concerns over Donald Trump’s planned trade tariffs, convinced that “reason will probably prevail.”
“There are too many US conglomerates and companies that have so much interest in and dependence on foreign trade and investments,” Anwar said.
Malaysia will also seek to “maintain close relations with Russia” during its ASEAN chairmanship, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu told Sputnik late last year.
Malaysia and Russia have “very strong relations, including in defense,” the minister added. (Sputnik)
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