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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein emphasized on Saturday (April 3) that his country remained independent in foreign policy after some opposition political and social media users criticized him for referring to his Chinese counterpart as his “older brother”.
Hishammuddin, on his first visit to China as Foreign Minister, had expressed his hope that he and Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi would seek closer ties between nations, including post-COVID-19 cooperation and fighting the pandemic.
However, he sparked controversy at home when he told his counterpart at a joint press conference on Thursday: “You will always be my older brother.”
China is Malaysia’s largest trading partner, but relations between the two countries have been tested in recent years by Beijing’s increasingly assertive foreign policy in the region, particularly its maritime claims in the rich South China Sea. resources, some of which conflict with Malaysia’s own claims. .
Some Malaysians took to social media to reprimand Hishammuddin, saying he appeared to be appeasing the global superpower, while opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim demanded that the minister retract his comment and apologize to the country.
“This is not the language and style that should be used in the world of diplomacy and international relations because it seems to place Malaysia as a foreign puppet,” Anwar said on Saturday.
“As a neutral country and not in favor of any great power in the world, your statement is clearly a form of insult to our own country.”
Following the criticism, Hishammuddin said on Twitter that he had said “big brother” to show respect to Wang Yi, and that the words did not refer to Malaysia’s relationship with China.
He said that he had been “respecting that Wang Yi is an older and a higher-ranking foreign minister; therefore, ‘big brother’ to me personally.”
“Being respectful does not mean weakness,” he added.
“Please be assured that Malaysia remains independent, principled and pragmatic in terms of our foreign policy, founded on the values of peace, humanity, justice and equality.”
