Malaysia PM takes dig at West in China article

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING

Malaysia's prime minister has underlined that his country will embrace governments that respect the sovereignty of other states, not their former colonial powers, during a state visit to China.

In an article penned for the state-run China Daily, Najib Razak underlined Wednesday that the era of foreign intervention is over.

"More generally, we believe it is incumbent upon larger countries to treat smaller ones fairly. And this includes former colonial powers. It is not for them to lecture countries they once exploited on how to conduct their own internal affairs today," Razak -- on a six-day visit to Beijing -- wrote.

Razak's visit to the region follows that of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who prior and during his trip lashed out at its former biggest ally the United States, and signed an assortment of deals with Beijing.

Malaysia is a former British colony, and the Philippines a former U.S. colony.

In the China Daily piece, Razak underlined that Malaysia and China are united in agreeing on the need to defend the sovereignty of the nation state and in the belief that the "individual histories, values and governance systems" of different countries must be respected.

"This is particularly relevant as the world's fulcrum shifts East," Razak wrote.

"It is crucial that global institutions reflect the legitimate desires and viewpoints of countries that were given no say in the legal and security infrastructure that was set up by the victors of the Second World War."

Razak went on to elaborate on his administration’s move to increase trade and cooperation with China, pointing out that both countries have had a long history of cooperation dating back to the Malacca Sultanate of the 1400s.

"China was Malaysia's largest trading partner in 2015, a position it has maintained since 2009, with trade last year between our countries totaling approximately $100 billion."

He underlined that Malaysia is also China's eighth largest trading partner worldwide, the largest among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, along with the largest source of imports, and second largest export destination.