Malaysia asks to restart informal economic talks with Taiwan
Anwar says Taiwanese investment continues despite a reported suspension of bilateral investment negotiations following his remarks on Taiwan.
Malaysia has asked for informal economic discussions with Taiwan to restart while retaining its One China policy, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat on Nov 12.
Anwar said the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) had communicated Malaysia's wish to continue informal engagement. He distinguished this from formal negotiations, saying economic cooperation mechanisms remained in place, including the Economic Cooperation Committee, Trade Working Committee and Investment Working Committee.
Taiwan's foreign minister reportedly confirmed that bilateral investment negotiations had been suspended after Anwar's comments in an Al Jazeera interview in early August. In that interview, Anwar said he regarded Taiwan as part of China.
Anwar told Parliament that Taiwanese trade and investment flows had not been disrupted. Investors from Taiwan were still investing in Malaysia, he said, while talks about further investments continued.
For 2026, Malaysia's exports to Taiwan during the first nine months climbed 88% year-on-year to RM116.58 billion. Imports rose 24.2% to RM137.67 billion.
Malaysia continued to welcome Taiwanese investment and was facilitating the process, Anwar said, highlighting semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) and chips as sectors where those investments were important.
