KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday rejected the notion that China's dominance is to be feared, calling the East Asian country a "true friend" at the end of Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between their countries.
While the leaders raised some contentious bilateral issues, Anwar said they discussed them as "equal partners, as trusted friends." He didn't give details but likely referred to the prickly issue of overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.
"People say, well, Malaysia is a growing economy. Don't let China abuse its privilege and extort from the country. I said no," Anwar told some 200 business leaders at a luncheon attended by Li.
"[On] the contrary, we want to benefit from one another. We want to learn from one another, and we want to profit from this engagement," he said.
Anwar also rebuked the "incessant propaganda that we should cast aspersions and fear the dominance of China economically, militarily, technologically."
"We do not. We in Malaysia, having a neutral stance, have the resolve to work with all countries and with China," he said. "We see Premier Li Qiang as a friend [who] would work... with us."
Li, the first Chinese premier to visit Malaysia since 2015, flew in for a three-day visit on Tuesday on the last leg of a regional tour. Li, China's No. 2 leader after President Xi Jinping, was also the first Chinese premier to visit New Zealand and Australia in seven years.
The two leaders on Wednesday agreed that China and other claimant countries in Southeast Asia should tackle the South China Sea dispute "independently and properly" through dialogue and cooperation, and via bilateral settlement.
No details were given, but the statement came amid concerns that the dispute could escalate tensions between the United States and China. The US renewed on Tuesday a warning that it is obligated to defend treaty ally Philippines after Chinese forces seized two Philippine boats delivering food and supplies to a military outpost in a disputed shoal and injured several Filipino navy personnel.
Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan all dispute Beijing's claims to almost the entire South China Sea. Malaysia's government prefers diplomatic channels and rarely criticizes Beijing publicly, even though Chinese coast guard ships have sailed near Malaysia's waters. This is partly to protect economic ties, as China has been Malaysia's top trading partner since 2009. Bilateral trade surged to $98.8 billion last year, accounting for 17 percent of Malaysia's global trade.
At the luncheon, Li urged businesses to expand cooperation in emerging fields such as green development, digital economy and artificial intelligence.
The premier was given a red-carpet ceremonial sendoff and an honor guard as he departed for home later on Thursday.
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