“It is therefore important that even if we have free trade, we should provide some protection for the smaller economies, otherwise it will be a market which receives goods from everybody else but earns very little from export,” he told reporters after launching Apec 2020 here.

Mahathir said this when asked if he plans to use Apec 2020 to kickstart Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.

Last month, 15 Asian countries agreed on terms for possibly the world’s biggest trade pact, although India rejected it due to differences over tariffs, among others.

RCEP is backed by China and involves the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

In September, International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking said the agreement would likely be signed by next year.

Commenting further on free trade, Mahathir said it was time to think about equability between partners.

He spoke of one “very big” country whose leader had decided that “his own country is important” while working with others isn’t.

“This new kind of thinking is affecting the whole world and we need to discuss this at the conference.”