Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia will continue to maintain good relations with foreign countries, including the United States (US) and China, which are among the country's largest investors and trading partners, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.
He said that although Malaysia disagrees with some US policies, particularly regarding the oppression of the Palestinian people in Gaza, economic relations with that country need to be maintained to ensure the country’s continuity, including by protecting job opportunities for Malaysians.
"The US, do we agree with its policies? We disagree on many things. But the US is one of the largest investors and trading partners in Malaysia. We also have good relations with China and our trade is also good," he said at the ‘Majlis Temu Anwar Bersama Wira Muda Negara @ PLKN 3.0’ event here on Saturday.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said this when asked about the preparations that young people should make to help the country in the event of armed conflict, in view of the ongoing Gaza issue and growing security threats.
He also referred to Google's announcement of a RM61 billion investment as an example of the importance of maintaining good relations with companies from the US.
"Recently, Alphabet and Google's president and chief investment officer, Ruth Porat announced an investment of RM61 billion.
But we didn't give anything away. We imposed conditions on training and adequate water supply, among other things," said Anwar.
Porat recently announced that Google will invest US$5 billion (RM60.96 billion) in Malaysia between 2027 and 2028, covering the development of data centre campuses, clean energy, strengthening water supply security and enhancing workers’ skills.
