KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 12): Malaysia has requested that informal economic discussions with Taiwan resume as it seeks to maintain trade and investment ties with the island without compromising its longstanding One China policy.

The Foreign Ministry, together with the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti), had conveyed that discussions at the informal level should continue, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat during the prime minister's question time on Thursday.

Anwar stressed that Malaysia was not conducting formal negotiations with Taiwan, but maintained several economic cooperation mechanisms, including the Economic Cooperation Committee, Trade Working Committee and Investment Working Committee.

Anwar drew criticism following an interview with Al Jazeera in early August, during which he said he considered Taiwan part of China and likened Beijing's possible use of force against the island to Malaysia preventing a state from seceding.

Taiwan's foreign minister reportedly confirmed that the island had suspended bilateral investment negotiations with Malaysia following Anwar's remarks.

On Thursday, Anwar said there had been no disruption to trade or investment flows from Taiwan, with Taiwanese investors continuing to invest in Malaysia and discussions on new investments ongoing.

In the first nine months of 2026, Malaysia's exports to Taiwan rose 88% year-on-year to RM116.58 billion, while imports increased 24.2% to RM137.67 billion.

“We welcome investments from Taiwan and are facilitating the investment process, particularly in sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) and chips, where Taiwanese investments are important,” Anwar said.

For more Parliament stories, click here.