Malaysia’s foreign minister was criticized for calling Wang Yi the “older brother.”

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein visited China on April 1-2 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This is Hishammuddin’s first visit to China as Foreign Minister.

Malaysia’s foreign minister expressed hope that he and Vuong will seek a closer relationship between the two countries, including fighting the Covid-19 epidemic and cooperation after the pandemic. However, Hishammuddin was controversial at home when he told his counterpart at a joint press conference on April 1: “You will always be my older brother.”

Some Malaysians took to social media to poke fun at Hishammuddin, saying he appeared to be appeasing the global superpower, while opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim asked the foreign minister to withdraw his speech and apologize to the country.

“This is not the language and style that should be used in the world of diplomacy and international relations, as it seems to position Malaysia as a foreign puppet,” Anwar said. “As a neutral country and not supporting any major world power, your statements clearly insult our country.”

Following the criticism, Hishammuddin tweeted today that he used the word “older brother” to show respect for Mr. Wang, and the words did not mention Malaysia’s relationship with China. According to Hishammuddin, “I respected because Wang Yi was older, he was a senior foreign minister,” therefore, “the older brother to me.”

“Respect does not mean weakness,” he said. “Rest assured that Malaysia remains independent, in principles and realities in foreign policy, based on the values ​​of peace, humanity, justice and equality.”

China is Malaysia’s biggest trading partner, but relations between the two countries have been challenged in recent years by Beijing’s increasingly assertive foreign policy in the region, especially its claims for sovereignty.

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