ISTANBUL

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday discussed US tariffs, a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The Chinese foreign minister was in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur for a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Wang Yi said that China and Malaysia should “work together to meet challenges and seek development and revitalization,” noting: “The rise of the global South is unstoppable.”

“The unilateral imposition of high tariffs by the United States is irresponsible and unpopular,” Wang added.

“China will always stand together with the developing countries, adhere to high-level opening up, share the dividends of China's super-large market, and jointly expand the cake of win-win cooperation.”

For his part, Anwar Ibrahim said that during the meeting: “We reaffirmed the strength of Malaysia-China ties,” according to a post on his official X account.

“We discussed narrowing the trade deficit and expanding cooperation in port logistics, LNG, water management, and emerging sectors like the digital economy and green technology,” Anwar said.

Anwar highlighted that China has been Malaysia's top trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with trade totaling $106 billion in 2024 and more than $36 billion recorded between January and April of this year.

During the visit, Wang Yi also met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad.