KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must be seen as a middle power when navigating the current geopolitical and security developments in the globe.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the vital element would be to remain neutral in order to prevent any relations with a major power from unbalancing Malaysia.
"While we may not be a superpower, we must not be seen as too small a power (thus the middle power approach)," he said after chairing the second Consultative Council Meeting on Foreign Policy (CCMFP) at the ministry.
He elaborated that this was where the principle of neutrality would come into play, in which the country would not veer too far to the left or right in its relations with large nations.
This, he believes will give a positive impact in terms of Malaysia's standing in regional affairs which also include the Pacific and the Indo-Pacific nations.
The second CCMFP deliberated extensively on current geopolitical affairs, economic challenges and Malaysia's stand against current developments.
Members of CCMFP selected by the cabinet include various experts while Malaysia's missions participated virtually focusing on economic diplomacy, intervention and world geopolitical issues.
Apparently, security issues were the main point of attention with deliberations focusing on Malaysia's approach to super power rivalry thus the principle of middle power and neutrality.
And, Malaysia must assess her situation regarding what is happening around by taking into account her geographical location too.
"We are situated in a very busy shipping area, first, being near the South China Sea and second, the Straits of Melaka," Zambry said.
As an important nation in an area of superpowers interest, Malaysia must have suitable and pragmatic policies to deal with emerging issues and challenges, he said.
Asked about the challenge of Artificial Intelligence, which even the United Nations Security Council would be looking at this week, CCMFP members did discuss it but merely in general terms, Zambry said.
On the economic front, the members looked at the main economic challenges and tried to project a proper response in the long term.
One concerns the competition between economic superpowers like the United States and China, especially the issue of "de-coupling".
De-coupling is a process by which a country that is in conflict with another seeks to decrease its economic interactions with that country in a manner that cannot be restored to previous level quickly which involves big decreases in mutual trade and investment flows.