TIANJIN, Sept. 1, 2025 — In a speech at Tianjin University this morning, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasized the deep trust built between Malaysia and China over the past 50 years, while addressing global economic challenges and advocating for a new model of international relations he termed “sovereign interdependence.”
Reflecting on Malaysia’s historic recognition of the People’s Republic of China in 1974—the first Southeast Asian nation outside the socialist bloc to do so—Anwar highlighted how this bold move fostered a lasting partnership grounded in mutual respect. “Each meeting with President Xi Jinping has carried this understanding forward, that our nations, different in size yet equal in respect, can act with consistency and candour,” he said.
This trust has spurred practical cooperation, including infrastructure projects, green energy initiatives, digital economy collaboration, and mutual visa-free travel. Anwar stressed the importance of such stability amid a turbulent global economy, marked by shifting rules, market-distorting subsidies, and sudden export controls. “Where integration was once assumed, fragmentation is now the mood,” he noted, citing the Chinese classic *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*: “Long divided, must unite; long united, must divide.”
Anwar called for Asia to take a leading role in shaping the next global economic order, ensuring fairness, inclusivity, and opportunity. He proposed “sovereign interdependence” as a guiding principle, allowing nations to remain sovereign while embracing the flows of trade, talent, and technology essential for prosperity. Drawing on Asian historical wisdom, including Admiral Zheng He’s voyages and the concept of *hé ér bù tóng* (harmony without uniformity), he argued that civilizations can enrich each other without losing their unique identities.
Warning against exclusionary blocs and fragmentation, Anwar urged Asian nations to choose “bridges over barriers, cooperation over coercion.” He concluded with a vision for Asia to lead with dignity, fostering resilience and shared prosperity through a model of interdependence that respects sovereignty.
“Asia can move forward, fully ourselves yet open to one another, sovereign yet interdependent, standing tall without standing apart,” Anwar said, underscoring the region’s pivotal role in securing a fair and inclusive global future.