Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated in an August 17 interview with Al Jazeera that he views Taiwan as part of China and supports using force to maintain national unity if a Malaysian state tries to separate. He said, "I see Taiwan as part of China, period," reaffirming Malaysia’s longstanding "One China" policy that dates back to the tenure of Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

When asked whether he would condemn China’s right to use force on Taiwan if peaceful unification failed, Anwar did not issue condemnation. Instead, he said he would act similarly to protect Malaysia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stating, "If a state in Malaysia decides to separate, we would use force to protect the country's sanctity and unity" [1, 2, 5].

Anwar criticized what he called Western double standards regarding China and Taiwan, emphasizing Malaysia’s longstanding commitment to the "One China" principle and questioning perceived hypocrisy around Taiwan's status [1, 6, 7].

China’s Foreign Ministry publicly praised Anwar’s comments, welcoming his reaffirmation of the "One China" principle as consistent with Malaysia’s official position [8, 4]. On August 19, China’s MFA issued a statement commending Anwar’s stance [8].

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Anwar’s remarks on August 18. It accused him of undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty and rationalizing China’s potential use of force. Taiwan said the comments harm regional peace, bilateral trust, and could negatively affect Taiwanese business confidence in Malaysia. The ministry declared, "Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country and will not be changed by any false claim" [2, 9, 10, 11, 5].

Domestically, former PKR deputy chairperson Chua Tian Chang defended Anwar’s remarks, saying recognizing the "One China" policy does not equate to supporting China’s use of force. He called for a balanced understanding of Anwar’s position [6, 7]. Malaysian Chinese community leader Datuk Dr. Ng Poh Seng also publicly supported Anwar’s stance on the "One China" policy on August 20 [4].

On August 20, Anwar clarified that Malaysia’s "One China" policy has been consistent since Tun Razak’s era and expressed regret over negative reactions to his interview statements [3].