Former Prime Minister of Malaysia: There is no need for ASEAN to get involved in the friction between China and the United States in the Taiwan Strait

"The United States wants mainland China and Taiwan to confront each other, but there is no need for us to get involved." On May 24, local time, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad made the above remarks while attending the 29th "Future of Asia" International Forum in Tokyo. speech. He accused senior U.S. officials of traveling to Taiwan to provoke mainland China. It was the U.S. government that provoked tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Mahathir also called on ASEAN to remain neutral in the increasingly fierce competition between China and the United States, to live in peace with China, its most important trading partner, and to avoid war, especially on the South China Sea issue.

In his speech that day, Mahathir downplayed the friction caused by the South China Sea issue and believed that it was more important to avoid a conflict with China. "You can claim sovereignty over the South China Sea, but we don't have to go to war over it," he said.

"We just want to coexist peacefully with our trading partners." Mahathir said that as long as China's stance does not cause actual harm to Malaysia, there will be no problem because China has neither banned navigation in the South China Sea nor inspected passing ships. "We have oil production in the South China Sea, but so far, they haven't done anything."

Mahathir stressed that China is the most important trading partner of most ASEAN member states. Mahathir urged ASEAN to remain pragmatic and focus on its own economic development rather than geostrategic issues.

"China is a big market. We cannot lose this market." He said, "If we choose sides, we will either lose the US market or the Chinese market."

Mahathir reiterated that ASEAN should remain neutral amid rising tensions between China and the United States, including on the Taiwan issue. Mahathir accused the US government of provoking friction in the Taiwan Strait.

"Unfortunately, the United States likes to see China and Taiwan in conflict. For us, there is no need (to get involved)." He said.

Mahathir believes that the United States is provoking China by allowing senior officials to visit Taiwan. For example, after Pelosi, the then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, moved to Taiwan in 2022, mainland China held military exercises around Taiwan.

As for this year’s U.S. election, Mahathir predicted that if former U.S. President Trump wins the election, it will make ASEAN’s diplomatic situation more complicated. This is also the reason why ASEAN should avoid taking sides.

"He (Trump) will think about America first and make America great again. But that's his business, that's his country. He can do what he wants, but don't hurt other people."

According to public information, Mahathir was born on December 20, 1925 and is now 99 years old. He is Malaysia’s longest-serving leader. He has served twice as the leader of Umno and the leader of the Bersatu Party. Served as the Prime Minister of Malaysia: the fourth Prime Minister (1981 to 2003) and the seventh Prime Minister (2018 to 2020).

In August 2020, after Mahathir quit the Bersatu Party, he founded the Fatherland Fighters Party. In November 2022, Mahathir and his Fatherland Fighter Party lost the election. In December, he resigned as party chairman, effectively ending his political career. But he is still active in various political activities.

In addition to Mahathir, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also expressed similar views at the forum on the 23rd. He said that as China continues to develop in the economic and military fields, China is an important neighbor of Malaysia. Anwar stressed that Malaysia does not have the so-called "Sinophobia". In his view, China is "too close, too important, and too strategic to be ignored."

"We will continue to engage and regard the United States as an important ally, while strengthening cooperation with China." Anwar also expressed the hope that the two major countries, China and the United States, can "resolve differences," while urging the United States to "give up protectionism and respect Competitiveness," and criticized the United States' inaction on the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.