Taipei confirms suspending investment talks over Anwar’s ‘One China’ remark

 

Taiwan has confirmed media reports that it suspended bilateral investment talks with Malaysia last month in response to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s apparent support for the territory’s reunification with China by force.

The move highlights the economic fallout from rising tensions between Malaysia and its fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade in goods totalling RM233 billion last year, following Anwar’s remarks in August.

Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei confirmed the suspension at a press conference this morning when asked to comment on a Nikkei Asia report published yesterday. The report, citing unnamed Malaysian government insiders, said talks scheduled for late October had been shelved.

Hsiao said the move was intended to protect Taiwanese investors amid concerns that Anwar’s remarks had undermined Taiwan’s sovereignty and economic security, as well as business confidence in Malaysia.

“However, we continue to communicate with the Malaysian side, hoping the Malaysian government will acknowledge the close investment relationship and long-standing mutual trust between the two countries, thereby creating favourable opportunities to resume negotiations,” he said in a livestream of the press conference.

The Nikkei Asia report also claimed that Taiwan’s political leadership had reacted to Anwar’s comments with “pure anger”, viewing Kuala Lumpur as making “little to no effort” to address its concerns.

Anwar had reaffirmed Malaysia’s longstanding “One China” policy during an interview with Al Jazeera in August, when asked about the geopolitical dispute between China and Taiwan.

However, when asked whether he would condemn China’s assertion that it reserved the right to use force if reunification could not be achieved peacefully, Anwar drew a comparison with Malaysia, saying he would also try to prevent a state from separating if it decided to do so.

Taipei subsequently condemned the remarks, accusing Anwar of treating Taiwan as a separatist part of China and legitimising Beijing’s threat to use force against the island.

Anwar later defended his position by saying Malaysia’s “One China” policy dated back to the administration of second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, while emphasising that any resolution to the Taiwan issue should be peaceful.

Despite the continued diplomatic disagreement, Hsiao said Taipei remained open to communication with Kuala Lumpur, although the resumption of investment talks remains unresolved. - Mkini