Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has strongly condemned remarks made by American political commentator Bill O’Reilly, calling out the former Fox News host for his xenophobic, racist, and Islamophobic views regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Southeast Asia.
Speaking to the media after a Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house hosted by the finance ministry in Putrajaya, Anwar responded to a widely circulated clip in which O’Reilly questioned the economic value of Xi’s visits to Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In the video, O’Reilly mocked these nations as economically insignificant, claiming they are unable to contribute meaningfully to China’s trade ambitions. “Hey, President Xi, let me just break it to you. Those folks have no money at all… The ‘Malays’ aren’t gonna buy your stuff. They don’t have any money,” O’Reilly said, broadly labeling all Malaysians with the ethnic term “Malays.”
Anwar lambasted the comments as “an extreme view marked by arrogance and ignorance,” and said they reflected a lack of understanding about the geopolitical and economic landscape of Asia and ASEAN nations. He emphasized that such perspectives are not only outdated but also rooted in a colonial mindset.
“This is what we refer to in social science as a trapped way of thinking — still carrying the baggage of imperialism and colonialism,” Anwar explained. He urged Malaysians not to take such narrow-minded rhetoric too seriously and to stay focused on their own progress and regional cooperation.
Such dismissive attitudes from Western commentators overlook the growing economic significance of Southeast Asia and the strategic importance of China’s engagements with the region. Xi’s visit to Malaysia, part of a broader regional tour, comes amid escalating tensions between China and the United States, especially in light of ongoing trade disputes.
The prime minister’s strong rebuke signals Malaysia’s readiness to stand against stereotyping and mischaracterizations by foreign figures. It also reinforces the country’s stance on fostering regional collaboration and resisting divisive rhetoric from external parties unfamiliar with ASEAN realities.
Information Source: FMT
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