SAN FRANCISCO: Malaysia will continue to pursue robust relations with both China and the United States without being pushed to choose one side or the other.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said engaging both major powers provides Malaysia with more strategic space to advance its national interests
He said as strategic competition intensifies between the United States and China, Malaysia continues to approach its relations with both pragmatically and judiciously.
"We will work with partners to minimise risks – namely outright conflict or the bifurcation of the global economy into rigid blocs.
"Neither seems likely soon, but both have become plausible under today's mounting pressures.
"I do not believe armed conflict between major powers is inevitable, and middle powers like Malaysia can help reduce tensions through creative diplomacy," he said.
Anwar said this when speaking at the University of California, Berkeley here this afternoon.
His talk titled Superpower Rivalry and Rising Tensions in the Asia Pacific: The View from Southeast Asia was attended by about 250 students
MORE TO COME