KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 2026 — Malaysia must steer carefully through rising geopolitical tensions and economic pressures as a trading nation deeply tied into global supply chains, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Speaking at the opening of the Khazanah Nasional Bhd Megatrends Forum 2026, Anwar said shifts in global power, especially in trade, technology and geopolitics, carry direct consequences for a country that depends on open markets.
“For a country that lives by trade, and essentially Malaysia is one with factories in the middle of the world’s chip supply chains, this is not a mere theoretical consideration,” he said.
“A trading nation that is naive about this does not stay a trading nation for long.”
Anwar said Malaysia has so far managed the turbulence by keeping strong economic ties with multiple partners, rather than locking itself to one side.
“Malaysia is fortunately able to navigate these turbulent waters by focusing on economy and international trade, continuing to engage well both with the West and the East, registering phenomenal growth due to our investments and trade with the United States and Europe, and considering China, South Korea, Japan and India as our great friends,” he said.
He added that ASEAN offers a measure of stability, but warned that regional cooperation cannot stop at symbolism.
“I’m not naive to consider this an easy path. We are fortunate to be in ASEAN, where we together hold ASEAN centrality. But it must mean the capability or power to shape events, not merely hosting meetings,” he said.
Anwar also called for stronger global governance and accountability, saying centres of power are moving faster than the institutions meant to restrain them.
He said the lack of meaningful accountability, at both national and international levels, remains a core weakness in modern governance and has fed geopolitical tension, unilateral trade moves and systemic imbalance.
“Power moves faster than institutions meant to govern it,” he said, adding that democratic accountability must go beyond periodic elections and be practised in its real sense.
— Life News Agency
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