Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the "big brother" remark which he used during a press conference with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing was not referring to bilateral relations.
In a tweet, he explained that Wangi Yi is older and more senior to him as a foreign minister, hence the word "elder brother" was used.
"The phrase I used was not referring to our bilateral relations as strong ties (between Malaysia and China) are based on mutual trust and equality.
"Respecting that Wang Yi is older and a more senior foreign minister; hence 'elder brother' to me personally.
"Being respectful does not signify weakness," Hishammuddin said.
Hishammuddin has just ended his two-day working visit to China. Wang Yi had responded by saying "We are brothers" to Hishammuddin after the latter described China as Malaysia's "big brother" during the media conference.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had urged Hishammuddin to apologise to Malaysians and retract his remark.
He described Hishammuddin's statement as an insult to Malaysia's non-aligned position and said that it was inappropriate for international diplomacy.
"This is not the language or style that should be used in global diplomacy and international relations.
"It makes it look as if Malaysia is a foreign puppet," Anwar said.
A group of researchers also expressed concern that Malaysia describing China as a "big brother" would send a strong signal to other major powers and raise questions about the country's foreign policy direction.
"The use of such a term is inappropriate in Malaysia's foreign policy direction," they said in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by Research for Social Advancement research coordinator Fakhrurrazi Rashid, Strategic Studies and International Relations Researcher Group's Ahmad Muziru Idham Adnan and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak international studies alumnus Muhammad Ariff Mohamad Nizam. - Mkini
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