Speaking in his keynote address at the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable here, he said Malaysia was “fiercely independent”.

“The truth is, Malaysia was, is, and will be, on the side of Malaysia,” he said.

He added that Malaysia would not be defined by how major powers view the world.

“Malaysia will continue to strive for our national and strategic interests, defined on our own terms.”

In this vein, Putrajaya maintained “a strong and fruitful relationship” with both China and the US, he said, adding that Malaysia had marked milestones with both countries this year.

He also said that constant discussion and speculation on the matter of choosing sides was counterproductive and would only add to the existing mistrust and suspicion.

Meanwhile, he said that while maintaining a balance in relationships with key partners was an important part of Malaysia’s approach to the world, there were situations that called for immediate and unequivocal intervention.

He said these included war crimes and atrocities, including systematic campaigns of genocide, a reference to the conflict in Gaza and the plight of the Palestinians.

Anwar said Putrajaya had consistently voiced concern about the reluctance of the US and the West to apply pressure on Israel.

However, he said it was also important to acknowledge positive developments. Within the constraints of the US political system in an election year, president Joe Biden had recently expressed growing impatience with his Israeli counterpart, he said.

He said Biden had also begun to push for the acceptance of a proposal for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages.

“We welcome these early signs of change in America’s approach towards the conflict. We hope that the US will keep re-evaluating its approach and hasten an end to the killing and carnage,” he said.