KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will remain independent and not choose sides between the major powers of China and the United States, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said constant discussion and speculation on choosing sides is counter-productive and will also contribute to a brewing cauldron of mistrust and suspicion.
He said perceiving Malaysia as tilting to one side in a so-called strategic pivot from the other is an oversimplification and a gross misperception of the nation's interests and character.
"We are fiercely independent. That is to say, we refuse to be defined by how major powers see the world, and Malaysia will continue to strive for our national and strategic interests, defined on our own terms.
"Malaysia stands for peace and progress, mutual respect, and above all, an abiding adherence to international law and cooperation," he said in his keynote address at the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable (37APR) organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Isis) Malaysia.
Anwar added that Malaysia will maintain strong and fruitful relationships with China and the United States.
He said Malaysia will continue to pursue productive and meaningful relations with other partners, whether longstanding strategic and comprehensive strategic partners or friends in the Global South.
"Malaysia has a proud history of being part of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War.
"In remaining faithful to the principle of non-alignment, we have proven that the pursuit of dynamic neutrality is not only feasible but highly desirable."
However, Anwar said while balancing relationships with key partners is a crucial aspect of Malaysia's approach to international relations, some situations demand unhesitating and unequivocal intervention.
"I am speaking here of war crimes, flagrant atrocities committed in the killing fields under the pretext of self-defence, and settler colonialism, which is nothing short of a systematic campaign of genocide to displace an entire population of Indigenous people.
"The Israeli occupation of Palestine is a scourge on our collective histories and the conduct of nations.
"The Palestinians live oppressed and besieged while we are alive and free, limited in our influence and power, but sovereign and free. Malaysia is no major power, but make no mistake, we will use our freedom to support the Palestinians' fight for theirs."