Amid tensions at sea, Malaysian premier set to visit China

ISTANBUL

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will visit China next week as the two maritime neighbors navigate tensions in the disputed South China Sea.

Anwar will pay “a working visit” between Nov. 4 and 7, at the invitation of the Beijing side, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lin Jian said in a brief statement.

No agenda of Anwar’s China trip was released.

This would be Anwar’s second official trip to China since he was inaugurated in November 2022.

He met President Xi Jinping last year in March during his first official visit to China.

Anwar, however, has visited China for other events as well.

Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, who celebrated 10 years of comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023, have competing claims in the vast warm waters of the South China Sea.

While Beijing has urged the Southeast Asian nation to halt exploration in disputed areas, Anwar has reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, the 77-year-old prime minister told the Parliament that the state-run energy firm Petronas would continue its operations within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, including the Kasawari gas field off Sarawak in East Malaysia.

“We will continue, but we will not close the door on discussions with any country,” Anwar said.

However, he added, Malaysia’s disputes in the region were not limited to China and that these territorial disagreements do not impact diplomatic or trade relationships with neighboring countries.

The bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia rose to over $87 billion last year.