Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim stated on Thursday that the United States had become more “transactional,” using rewards and punishments to achieve goals with other countries, ABC News informed.
Anwar noted the need to encourage greater co-operation with China in the Asia-Pacific region. He opposed taking sides in the US-led Western rivalry with China for strategic influence in the region. The Prime Minister also rejected Western criticism that Malaysia was being too lenient with China as it was becoming increasingly assertive in the South China Sea.
The Malaysian leader spoke at the Australian National University in Canberra on Thursday, expressing “empathy” with China, which he said saw the negative reaction to its rise as “an attempt to deny their legitimate place in history.”
“I believe that Malaysia and Australia have a duty to try the utmost to encourage the United States, China and other major players in the Asia-Pacific to conduct themselves in a manner that is conducive to the enhancement of regional cooperation and economic integration.”
Delivering a veiled criticism of China pursuing legally unsubstantiated territorial claims in the South China Sea, Anwar stated:
We may not turn a blind eye [to breaches of the international law].
