KEY POINTS
- Anwar told FT last month that Malaysia won't "pick a quarrel with China" and denounced "China-phobia"
- He also called for "empathy" for China, and said Malaysia shouldn't be prevented from being friendly with Beijing
- Anwar's "willful obliviousness" to Xinjiang and China's SCS aggression may backfire: University of Nottingham Malaysia's William Case
In rising Southeast Asia, where a battle for hegemony between Washington and Beijing has intensified in recent years, Malaysia under Prime Minister Ibrahim painted his country as a neutral force. In the past few weeks though, he has been increasingly vocal of the path Malaysia will take in the rivalry under his rule: one that he deems may be best for the economically struggling nation, but could push it further away from the West and closer to its Asian neighbor.
