Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Papua New Guinea today, he said the debate on data localisation, intellectual property rights and other related matters will continue.

“But the philosophy of finding a mutual agreement is that it must benefit national governments and not just big multinational corporations or advanced countries.

“There needs to be collaboration at the global level to ensure that everyone benefits from technological advancement.

“What we need to do is to adjust to it and from there build new partnerships and agreements to suit the changes.”

Mahathir said he still believed in the adage “prosper thy neighbour and not beggar thy neighbour”.

“Everyone gains from the former, while only one gains from the latter.

“Only with this win-win concept among Apec members can we chart a common and inclusive future in an age of disruption.

“The benefits of free and fair trade and economic integration have been disrupted, exemplified by Brexit and trade wars between economies.

“The trade war between the US and China has amplified further the disruption to our trade and commerce.”

Mahathir said policies were needed to protect the losers from a shift towards a more technology-driven economy, including taxi drivers, small hotel owners and brick-and-mortar retailers.

“They should be retrained and rehired.”