Overview
- In an Al Jazeera interview that aired on Aug. 17, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he views Taiwan as part of China and said he would accept the use of force if peaceful reunification failed.
- China’s foreign ministry publicly commended Anwar for reaffirming the One China principle and repeated language that reunification is an inevitable goal.
- Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the comments false and warned they could hurt the confidence of Taiwanese businesses investing in Malaysia.
- Anwar later qualified his remarks in a doorstop on Aug. 20 by stressing Malaysia respects China’s position and preferring a peaceful path, while the Malaysian cabinet said the comments were not discussed at its weekly meeting.
- The exchange updates Malaysia’s 2025 joint statement with China at the leader level and raises political and economic risks for Kuala Lumpur as it balances close trade ties with both Beijing and Taipei ahead of a visit to China and upcoming domestic elections.