The Malaysian leader criticized the “Western rhetoric” regarding the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The Malaysian leader said the country plans to join the BRICS group of emerging economies.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in an interview with Chinese media Guancha that his government would soon begin the EU accession process after receiving feedback from South Africa.
“We have clarified our policy, we have made a decision and we will start the formal process soon. As for the southern hemisphere countries, we have our full support,” Anwar told Shanghai-based media.
Anwar also supported comments by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who criticised the dominance of the US dollar in international trade.
“Investment into Malaysia hit an all-time high last year, but the currency still came under attack. True, things have calmed down in recent weeks. But this makes no sense and goes against basic economic principles,” Anwar was quoted as saying.
“Why? A currency that is completely outside the trade systems of both countries and has no connection to domestic economic activity has become dominant simply because it is used as an international currency.”
Founded in 2006, BRICS originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In January, the coalition expanded its membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In an interview, Anwar said China’s rise “has brought a ray of hope that there are checks and balances in the world,” and praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for recognizing the importance of reviving Asian values.
“When I first met President Xi Jinping, I was attracted to him because he is one of the few great leaders who talks about civilization. In a way, he is unique,” he was quoted as saying.
The Malaysian leader also criticized the “Western rhetoric” that placed undue emphasis on the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“People keep talking about October 7 and it annoys me. Do you want to fixate on one event and erase 70 years of history? This is the Western narrative. See, this is the problem with the West. They want to control the narrative and we can’t accept that anymore because they are no longer a colonial power and an independent country should be free to express itself,” Anwar told Guancha.
Anwar made the remarks ahead of Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Malaysia to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Malaysia.
During Li’s three-day visit, which begins on Tuesday, Kuala Lumpur and Beijing are expected to renew a five-year economic cooperation agreement and sign deals to cooperate in areas such as the digital economy and green development.
China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner since 2009, with total trade reaching 450.84 billion ringgit ($98.9 billion) last year.
