During a speech in Taipei on Monday, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad lauded the development of Taiwan-Malaysia relations over the years.
Kuala Lumpur has been working to attract more foreign investment in a bid to boost its economic development and “Taiwan has responded well” to that policy, Mahathir said as he delivered a speech titled “Nation building and economic development: the Malaysian experience” at an event organized by the Taipei-based Association of Foreign Relations.
Taiwanese investment has played an important role in Malaysia, with many of the companies involved based in the solar panel sector and other high-tech industries, he added.
Photo: CNA
“We think that the relationship between Malaysia and Taiwan will improve over time,” Mahathir said. “This is something that will contribute to Malaysia’s growth.”
Mahathir, who served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, also talked about the country’s financial goals, saying that it is aiming to become a fully developed economy by 2020.
To that end, Malaysia has been working to boost economic development, foster a well-educated population and understand the development of new technologies and sciences, he said.
Malaysia has about 5 percent annual economic growth on average and Mahathir said he believes that “with 5 percent growth, we will be able to achieve the financial target for becoming a developed country.”
Asked about Taiwan’s relations with China and its foreign policy during an question-and-answer session after the speech, he said he usually does not comment on other countries’ foreign policies.
However, he said he could discuss Malaysia’s foreign policy, which is based on the principle of being “friends with every country.”
Malaysia is “very much against war,” the former prime minister said, adding that war costs a lot of lives and money, hence the country feels “that war achieves nothing.”
On his first visit to Taiwan, Mahathir also took the opportunity to urge cooperation among Asian countries.
Mahathir was invited to visit by the association, which aims to promote the nation’s ties with other countries, and was to wrap up his three-day visit yesterday.
A day earlier, Mahathir met with former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who is also the association’s honorary chairman.
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