03-31-2023, 09:50 AM
PETALING JAYA: Two foreign policy experts have urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to raise two key issues when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping during his maiden trip to Beijing, saying this will prove he is consistent in his principles.
These issues are expected to be discussed discreetly in the interest of preserving ties with the superpower.
Collins Chong, a foreign affairs and strategy analyst at University Malaya (UM), said Anwar should bring up matters regarding the South China Sea territorial dispute and China’s alleged poor treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang.
Angeline Tan, a foreign policy researcher specialising on China at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), agreed.
Speaking to FMT, Chong said Anwar must raise the two issues regardless of their sensitivity and of the potential repercussions from Beijing.
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