Malaysian PM Lauds China’s Xi As Global South’s ‘Voice’ Day After Trump’s Win

By Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping as “a new voice for the Global South” during their meeting on Thursday in Beijing, a day after “America First” candidate Donald Trump won the U.S. election.

Xi reciprocated saying his country and Malaysia were good friends and partners that must jointly oppose protectionism and uphold international fairness, although he did not mention Trump or his professed plan to tax almost all imports by 10-20%, but Chinese imports 60%.

Anwar met Xi on the last day of his four-day working visit to China, his third trip to Beijing since being named PM in 2022. The Malaysian PM attended the China International Import Expo trade fair in Shanghai during the first three days of the visit.

The Malaysian PM visited the United States to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum in San Francisco last year, but he has not made an official trip to Washington as PM.

In his opening remarks on the visit to meet Xi, Anwar commended the Chinese president for emphasizing “values and civilization” and his “passion for the people, the poor, and humanity.”

“More importantly, your vision for global security and development resonates deeply with us,” Anwar said to Xi.

“This is why we view China not just as a leader of the East but as a voice for the Global South, one that champions the interests of the developing world.”

Still, Anwar also said that Malaysia will stick to its “strategic independence, and is willing to maintain close multilateral coordination with China to help safeguard regional peace, stability, development and prosperity,” reported China’s state news agency Xinhua.

For his part, Xi said China and Malaysia should “firmly support each other, jointly oppose protectionism, … [and] advocate [for] an equal and orderly multipolar world,” reported Xinhua.

The Chinese president further said his country and Malaysia must also ensure “inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, push for the reform and improvement of the global governance system, and uphold international fairness, justice and the common interests of developing countries.”

Xi said China supported Malaysia’s rotating presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, as well as the regional bloc’s centrality and independence.

Referring to Anwar’s comment about Malaysia retaining its “strategic independence,” Xi said China supports the Southeast Asian nation in upholding that autonomy and “choosing a development path suited to its national conditions.”

During a speech at Peking University earlier on Thursday, Anwar outlined a vision for a Southeast Asia that interacts constructively with global powers “while maintaining independence and promoting regional stability.” 

Bridge between East Asia, Southeast Asia Asia, Middle East

At the trade fair in Shanghai earlier this week, Anwar invited Xi to a summit next year with ASEAN and the Arab nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). 

“As ASEAN chair next year, Malaysia aims to enhance regional cooperation and inclusive, rules-based regional framework,” the Malaysian PM said on Tuesday.

“By linking China, ASEAN, and the GCC, we can build a bridge between East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, enabling deeper economic, cultural, and strategic ties.”

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, all oil-rich countries with substantial investments in Southeast Asia. 

For Malaysia, the potential benefits of the trilateral forum go beyond economic gains, Lee Pei May, an assistant professor of political science at the International Islamic University Malaysia told BenarNews. 

“This is the first attempt to build a bridge between East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, allowing for discussions on critical issues like regional stability and Middle Eastern conflicts.”

And although Anwar’s invitation to China was made before the announcement of Trump’s win, the Malaysian PM seemed to have spoken presciently about building new partnerships in the broader region now that sweeping U.S. import taxes, especially on Chinese goods, are a certainty.

China’s BRICS support ‘invaluable’

Trump’s expected inward-looking policies, analysts believe, will lead to much unpredictability and could also cause security problems, particularly in the Asia Pacific, analysts told Benar News on Wednesday after the former president’s victory.

Perhaps to prepare for such a contingency, Anwar’s participation in the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, included meetings with Chinese officials, investors, and over 23 top industries’ “captains” from advanced technology and manufacturing sectors.

Benedict Weerasena, research director at Kuala Lumpur think-tank Bait Al Amanah, said Anwar discussed expanding cooperation in digital economy initiatives, manufacturing, and infrastructure development with Chinese officials.

This signaled a bid to take Malaysia-China relations “to the next level,” Benedict told BenarNews.

As it is, Anwar publicly on Thursday said that China’s support for Malaysia becoming a partner of BRICS has been “invaluable.” 

The Southeast Asian nation had in July applied to become a partner of BRICS, an economic bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, in addition to China, and officially became one late last month.

Malaysia’s BRICS membership

For some observers, Malaysia’s BRICS partnership only solidifies their perception that the Southeast Asian nation under Anwar is becoming closer to Beijing, although the PM has denied it. 

And Malaysia already had strained ties with the U.S. since October 2023 because of Washington’s support for Israel in the Gaza conflict. 

BRICS is viewed by some analysts as a forum to provide Asian nations with alternative partnerships that could reduce their reliance on Western institutions or markets.

The anticipated worsening of U.S.-China ties under Trump – like under his first 2017-2021 presidency – may complicate Malaysia’s position if the U.S. president-elect feels slighted, regional observers noted.

Chong Ja Ian, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore, told BenarNews that the second Trump administration may adopt a more transactional and punitive approach. 

“The risk is if the next Trump administration sees this as Malaysia siding with China in the U.S.-China rivalry, it may line Malaysia up for additional punishment from the United States,” the professor said.

“Anwar says he won’t tolerate unilateral decisions, but it’s an open question how he intends to rebuff, say, a blanket tariff imposed by the United States on Malaysian imports.”