Malaysia’s Anwar urges Asean not to ‘single out’ Beijing over South China Sea tensions at Davos

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Southeast Asian nations not to “single out” Beijing over South China Sea disputes, a stance analysts said reflects a pragmatic effort to navigate the geopolitical landscape amid the uncertainties surrounding US-China relations under President Donald Trump.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Anwar said that boundary disputes will always exist in Asia, noting that despite Malaysia’s border issues with Singapore and other Southeast Asian neighbours, the country has maintained strong relationships.

Despite facing maritime issues with China, Anwar emphasised the importance of improving ties, stating that, despite these disputes, Malaysia does not “go to war” or “threaten”.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science and international relations professor at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, said Anwar is downplaying the China challenge in Southeast Asia to better “navigate choppy geopolitical waters” amid Trump’s second presidential term.

However, China’s actions in Southeast Asia are fundamentally different from its past border disputes with neighbours like Vietnam, Pongsudhirak said.

“Beijing is now in contention with regional neighbours over the entire South China Sea,” he said, adding that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is also “treading softly”, even recently joining the China-driven Brics group as a full member.