KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia's Foreign Minister has stressed that his country's foreign policy remains independent, after some social media users and opposition politicians lambasted him for referring to his Chinese counterpart as his "elder brother".
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, on his first visit to China as Foreign Minister, had expressed the hope that he and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi would pursue closer ties between the two nations, including fighting the pandemic and post-Covid-19 cooperation.
The two men met last Thursday in China's south-eastern Fujian province.
However, Mr Hishammuddin provoked controversy back home when he told Mr Wang at a joint press briefing last Thursday: "You will always be my elder brother."
China is Malaysia's largest trade partner, but relations between the two countries have been tested in recent years by Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy in the region, particularly its maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, some of which overlap with Malaysia's claims.
Some Malaysians took to social media to chide Mr Hishammuddin, saying he appeared to be appeasing China, while opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim demanded that the minister retract his comment and issue an apology to the country.
"This is not the language and style that should be used in the world of diplomacy and international relations because it seems to put Malaysia's status as a foreign puppet," Datuk Seri Anwar said yesterday.
"As a country that is neutral and not in favour of any great power in the world, his statement is clearly a form of insult to our own country."
Following the criticisms, Mr Hishammuddin said on Twitter yesterday that the words "elder brother" were to show respect to Mr Wang and did not refer to Malaysia's relationship with China.
He said he had been "respecting that Wang Yi is older, and a more senior foreign minister; hence 'elder brother' to me personally".
"Being respectful does not signify weakness," he noted.
"Rest assured that Malaysia remains independent, principled and pragmatic in terms of our foreign policy - founded on the values of peace, humanity, justice, and equality," he added.
REUTERS
