KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim affirmed ASEAN’s commitment to balanced diplomacy, stating the bloc would welcome a US-ASEAN summit if proposed, and rejecting claims of an increasing tilt toward China.
Speaking after the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, Anwar stressed ASEAN’s principle of neutrality and its intention to engage both the United States and China, emphasizing diplomacy based on mutual respect and regional unity. Amid rising geopolitical tension and trade pressures, Anwar clarified that ASEAN’s outreach to China does not preclude robust relations with the US.
He revealed prior correspondence with Donald Trump expressing openness to a future summit and noted ongoing trade negotiations to ease US tariffs on Malaysian exports, particularly semiconductors. Highlighting ASEAN’s consensus, Anwar underlined that any bilateral deals with Washington must align with collective regional interests and not disadvantage other member states.
