PUTRAJAYA: An American political commentator mocking the value of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to South-East Asia is a portrayal of extreme arrogance, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the comments showed the ignorance of certain quarters who have no clear understanding of the dynamics of relations in Asean and Asia as a whole.
“This (comment) shows a trapped imperialist and colonialist mentality.
“Certainly he has no understanding of Asia and Asean including our latest developments,” he said in reference to comments by conservative US political commentator Bill O’Reilly, who had mocked the economic value of Xi’s visits to three South-East Asian countries – Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia.
In his post on X, he questioned Xi’s motivations for the tour, suggesting Asean nations could not economically support China.
O’Reilly’s statement saying that “Malays aren’t gonna buy your stuff as they don’t have the money” drew criticism from Malaysians, who accused him of being uninformed.
Anwar said that ignorant comments, such as the ones made by O’Reilly, would further fuel xenophobia.
Xi’s three-day state visit saw 31 memoranda of understanding (MOUs), agreements and notes exchanged between Malaysia and China.
On another matter, the Prime Minister stated that he would be having discussions with his Asean counterparts prior to organising any meeting aimed at seeking a solution for Myanmar.
Anwar said Malaysia’s commitment to the issue, as the Asean Chair, is to agree to continuous discussions to ensure inclusivity with all parties’ concerns, based on the five-point consensus.
“I will need to discuss with my counterparts. Since Asean’s commitment is inclusive discussions, I will bring this matter up again to the members,” he said.
Earlier, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail attended the ministry’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.
Ministry staff and guests were treated to a variety of festive dishes, including lemang, ketupat, curry noodles and cendol.
