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PETALING JAYA: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein clarified that he used the term “older brother” to personally refer to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, and it is not a reference to describe China.
“The phrase I used did not refer to our bilateral relations, since strong ties are based on mutual trust and equality.
“Respecting that Wang Yi is older and a senior foreign minister, (he is) therefore an ‘older brother’ to me personally.
“Being respectful does not mean weakness,” Hishammuddin said in a tweet on Saturday (April 3).
Previously, PKR chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had criticized the minister’s use of the term, who said he described China as Malaysia’s “older brother”.
Anwar had said that such a description was not appropriate in the world of diplomatic and international relations and asked Hishammuddin to apologize and retract his comment.
Assuring the public, Hishammuddin added that Malaysia remains independent, principled and pragmatic in terms of the country’s foreign policy, which is based on the values of peace, humanity, justice and equality.
“We will continue to contribute significantly towards a just and equitable community of nations,” he said.
In news reports, Hishammuddin had said that Wang would “always be my older brother” during a two-day official visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart.
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