LIMA (Peru): Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia must be free to determine its own policies for the good of the country, without having to bow to external parties.
The prime minister said the aspirations of the people was the main guide in coming up with national policies, especially when it comes to trade and economic relations.
"We cannot bow to any party in coming up with our policies. On the contrary, we must be guided by what is best for our country, guided by the aspirations of our own people," he said.
Anwar was speaking at a roundtable discussion with captains of industry from Malaysia and Peru in conjunction with the APEC Economic Leaders Week (AELW).
Present at the session were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
The prime minister also emphasised that, even though the United States remains the biggest investors in Malaysia, the country also has close trade relations with China.
"Malaysia collaborates effectively in various fields, and this is the direction of our future," he said, referring to the importance of Malaysia maintaining a balanced relationship with various global economic powers.
Anwar also stressed the need to expand Malaysia's cooperation with the nations of the Global South.
He said such an effort had the potential to open up significant new opportunities and harness untapped economic potential in the region.
"We need to shift our focus slightly from solely prioritising traditional partners and look at the potential and new opportunities with the Global South," he said, referring to the changing dynamics of the global economy.
Anwar also highlighted the issue of social diversity and the shared sustainable development goals of Malaysia and Peru.
Both nations, he said, were committed to efforts in clean energy transition, environmental preservation, good governance and anti-corruption initiatives.
He said he saw these efforts as important steps towards driving sustainable growth at the international level.
In line with this vision, Anwar said he supports the alignment of policies between Malaysia and Peru, particularly in the context of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which also provides opportunities for both countries to strengthen regional economic ties.
During his visit, Anwar also officiated Peru's largest renewable energy initiative, the Matarani Solar Park project by Yinson Holdings Bhd.
The project is estimated to be able to supply 260 GWh of green energy yearly, enough to power 62,000 homes in Peru and cut carbon emissions by as much as 56,000 tonnes a year.
The project, developed by Yinson Renewables, is the result of an acquisition of Grenergy Renewables and is located in the Mollendo desert in the Arequipa region, an area with the highest solar irradiation rates in the world.
The 15-year power supply agreement that was signed for the project will ensure that clean energy is distributed to consumers in Peru, making it a concrete example of Malaysia's efforts to support the development of renewable energy at the global level.