No chill in Taiwan investments despite one-China remarks, says Anwar

No chill in Taiwan investments despite one-China remarks, says Anwar


3 hours ago
Nora Mahpar


Prime minister says checks with the investment, trade and industry ministry have found that Taiwanese companies’ operations and investments in the country are continuing as usual

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government remains open to Taiwanese investments and will facilitate business dealings, particularly in the semiconductor, chip, AI and electrical and electronics industries. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says there is no indication of Taiwanese investors withdrawing or halting new investments in Malaysia following his remarks on the one-China policy.

He said checks with the investment, trade and industry ministry (Miti) yesterday found that Taiwanese companies’ operations and investments in the country were continuing as usual.

“Discussions at Miti’s forum yesterday showed that Taiwanese investors had no plans to withdraw or stop making new investments in Malaysia,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.


Anwar said the government remains open to Taiwanese investments and would facilitate investors’ business dealings, particularly in the semiconductor, chip, artificial intelligence and electrical and electronics industries.

He was responding to Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi), who asked about reports that Taiwan suspended investment talks with Malaysia following the prime minister’s remarks in an Al Jazeera interview in August, where he described Taiwan as part of China.


Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei was reported as saying the decision was made in consideration of the island’s national sovereignty and economic security, as well as to safeguard the interests of Taiwanese investors.

Anwar said a bilateral economic cooperation meeting had been postponed, but clarified that it involved the economic cooperation committee, not formal diplomatic negotiations.

He said the government, through the foreign ministry and Miti, had requested that the meeting proceed to ensure that trade and investment ties remained unaffected.

Anwar said Malaysia’s total trade with Taiwan reached RM254.21 billion between January and September 2026, with exports surging 88% to RM116.58 billion, while imports rose 24.2% to RM137.63 billion.

Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) questioned the need for such strong remarks on Taiwan, saying trade relations between the two sides had been smooth for a long time.

Anwar acknowledged that his remarks had been more forceful and might have displeased some quarters in Taiwan, but stressed that Malaysia’s position on the one-China policy had remained unchanged since 1974.

He said Malaysia must uphold the principles of its foreign policy as an independent and sovereign nation while safeguarding its economic interests.

Anwar cited Malaysia’s firm stance against Israel’s actions in Palestine and Gaza, which drew criticism from several countries, including the US, but had not prevented trade and investment ties from continuing.

“We will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that our trade and investment relations with Taiwan remain good,” he said.