Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11): Minister of Economic Affairs Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has dismissed concerns China is taking over the country, amid growing Chinese investment flows into Malaysia in recent years.

Azmin pointed out that if there had been any imperialist intentions throughout the centuries-long bilateral relationship between the two countries, China could have colonised Melaka long ago.

“But it was the Western powers that did that, instead,” he said in his closing keynote speech at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference today.

Malaysia and China have shared a long history together, going back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when there were robust trade, social and political relations between Melaka and China, Azmin said.

“During this time, Melaka was a successful and prosperous major international trading port for the region, riding on the vibrant era of “globalisation” as spearheaded by China back then, when the word was not even heard of,” he said.

“The bilateral relationship between China and Malaysia, therefore, must be seen from the prism of that long history, signified not by wars or colonisation, but by robust trade and cultural exchanges,” he added. 

Today, Azmin said Asean community expects China to provide global leadership not just in the economic sphere, but in soft power, by advancing universal values such as freedom of conscience, mutual respect and justice.

He called for China’s commitment to peaceful development in Asean, as he maintained Malaysia’s stance that the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea must remain unencumbered. 

While China is an important trading partner to Malaysia, the issue in South China Sea must be dealt peacefully in order to maintain stability of the region, Azmin noted. 

“Southeast Asia is looking at China as the new economic behemoth with genuine admiration, but also with some trepidation because of its military might. In this regard, China’s commitment to peaceful development is absolutely crucial for continued prosperity of the region. 

“The region must remain a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality and must not be allowed to be militarised,” he added.  

When asked about the concerns over Asean countries splitting up if the US-China trade war escalated, Azmin asserted member countries must accommodate each other to prosper together. 

“I think we (Asean) have gone through many challenges in the past and the only solution to this is we must get our act together. It is important that Asean members must sit down and discuss and work together as a team. We believe that with the wisdom of [the] leadership in Asean, they would be able to face these challenges in a more positive manner,” he said. 

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