Anwar rejects Hamzah's claim he 'rocked the boat' over Taiwan

Perdana Menteri Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim has firmly stated that there is no evidence of a Taiwanese investor withdrawing or ceasing new investments in Malaysia, following his remarks about China's One Belt One Road initiative. Speaking to the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) on Tuesday, Anwar said that a review of MITI's data showed that Taiwanese companies' operations and investments in Malaysia were continuing as usual.

He added that during today's MITI forum, there was no indication that any investment discussions or new investments were being postponed or discouraged from taking place in Malaysia. This comes after reports emerged in Taiwan that the country had delayed discussions of investment with Malaysia following Anwar's interview with Al Jazeera last August.

Anwar countered that the Malaysian government continues to advocate for Taiwanese investment, particularly in sectors such as semiconductors, AI, and E&E, in response to Taiwan's claim of being part of China. He clarified that while the economic and business-level economic cooperation dialogue between the two countries has been postponed, it refers to an economic cooperation working group and not a formal diplomatic-level dialogue between the two nations.

Anwar affirmed that the government, through MITI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has requested that the economic cooperation dialogue be resumed to ensure that trade and investment relations are not affected. According to him, Malaysia's trade and investment with Taiwan from January to September 2026 amounted to RM254.21 billion, with exports rising by 88% to RM116.58 billion and imports increasing by 24.2% to RM137.63 billion.

MP Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik questioned the need for a strong statement on Taiwan when trade relations between the two countries have been good for a long time. In response, Anwar acknowledged that his statement may be less comforting to some in Taiwan, but he reaffirmed Malaysia's stance on One Belt One Road as a principle of an independent and sovereign country, regardless of economic interests.

He cited Malaysia's firm stance on Israel's actions in Palestine and Gaza, which have not been welcomed by several countries, including the United States, but trade and investment relations remain ongoing.