TAIWAN’S decision to suspend bilateral investment talks with Malaysia following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement on Taiwan should be a big lesson to the Madani government.
Such is the clarion call by PAS who took a pot shot at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for being careless in commenting on sensitive geopolitical issues.
“There’s no need to use terms related to military action in a conflict that does not directly involve Malaysia,” snubbed the Islamist party’s information chief Fadhli Shaari in a Facebook post.
For the record, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday (Nov 11) that Taipei paused its talks with Putrajaya following controversial remarks made by PMX during an August interview with Al Jazeera where he stated that he viewed Taiwan “as part of China, period” while likening Beijing’s potential use of force to Malaysia preventing one of its own states from seceding.
According to Fadhli, the opposition through PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan had already issued a warning since last August regarding the diplomatic implications of PMX’s statement.
“Unfortunately, the Madani government doesn’t seem to be taking the concerns seriously,” he lamented.
“This is when there was still space to clarify or withdraw the controversial expression and take immediate diplomatic steps to reduce its impact on Malaysia’s relations with Taiwan.”
The Pasir Mas MP went on to reveal official records from Wisma Putra which showed that for the period 1980 to March 2026, Taiwan is the ninth largest investor in Malaysia with 2,719 approved manufacturing projects worth US$16.7 bil, an equivalent to approximately RM70 bil as well as the potential to create more than 407,000 job opportunities.
“In fact, for the first six months of 2026 alone, a total of RM3.34 bil in manufacturing investments from Taiwan have been approved,” asserted Fadhli who formerly the PAS Youth chief.
Imagine if this diplomatic tension ultimately undermines the confidence of Taiwanese investors to continue or increase their investments in Malaysia, especially in the semiconductor and high-tech industries.”
Today, the concerns previously raised by the opposition are beginning to show their foundation when bilateral investment negotiations are postponed.
Although existing investments have not been reported to be cancelled, Fadhli cautioned that the latest development “is still a warning that should not be taken lightly”.
“Foreign policy requires wisdom and prudence, not spontaneous statements that could ultimately invite economic consequences for Malaysia,” he jibed.
“Now, where’s the brilliance of PMX that Pakatan Harapan (PH) backers are glorifying?”
Interestingly, one seeming Madani backer was trying to defend PMX by wondering if Fadhli ever thought of the economic repercussion to Malaysia “should China (Malaysia’s largest trading partner) be the one pulling out its investment from Malaysia for siding Taiwan”.
“There’s no pressing need to answer questions related to other country’s affairs … Even if you’ve to answer, just give a neutral answer … But you’re (PMX) so ignorant that you become a bane to your own country,” rebutted one opposition-slant commenter. – Nov 12, 2026
