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The Malaysian prime minister has urged the administration of US President Donald Trump not to stir up tensions with China, as relations between Washington and Beijing continue to deteriorate.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gave the warning after delivering a speech to a think tank in London on Monday as he answered a question about Trump's trade with China in the light of the imposition by Washington additional customs duties of $ 200 billion.
Trump also accused China of interfering in the upcoming mid-term elections and the United States recently sailed on a warship near controversial islands in the South China Sea. On Sunday, China reportedly canceled an annual security meeting with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis. The New York Times reported.
Mahathir appeared to express sympathy for Trump's position that Chinese imports are hurting the US economy, but he advised dialogue and said Trump should not send part of the US Pacific fleet to China.
"He should not send the seventh fleet there, because if you do that, you will provoke the Chinese and they will send their fleet. There will be tension … and they could shoot at each other, he said.
Mahathir added, "Always try to talk to them, talk to them. I do not think the Chinese are so bad that you can not talk to them. They are open to negotiation. You can negotiate an increase in import duties on products from China, which actually hurts poor Americans. "
Mahathir was speaking Monday at Chatham House in the British capital to explain how democracy in Asia should develop.
"When you are in conflict, you negotiate, arbitrate or go to court. When you go to court, you have to accept the results, "he concluded.
In May, the 93-year-old caused a huge shock by beating his former protégé, Najib Razak, on the ballot. Najib, 65, has since been arrested and faces charges of corruption for claiming to have received $ 2.6 million ringgit ($ 630 million) from the Saudi royal family in 2013.
Investigators said the money had been diverted from the public fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) through a complex network of transactions. Najib denies having committed a wrongdoing and says that the money had been offered to him by Riyadh.
Mahathir told the audience that "a leader democratically can behave like a dictator, and that's what has happened to Malaysia since 2013," referring to Najib's last term in office. as Prime Minister.
He added that Najib had come to believe that it was acceptable "to bribe for something to be done".
"Prime ministers are not paid very well," Mahathir said. "So if you want to buy, and you do not have money, you have to think of ways to get money, and the former prime minister has decided to steal the money ", which could be used to" change the minds of people ".
Authorities in several countries are investigating the 1MDB scandal. Mahathir said his government's priority was to tackle cases for which evidence had already been gathered, such as that of the US Department of Justice. "We are following the money trail," he said.
Mahathir is the oldest elected leader in the world, but he insists that he is just an interim mandate. The post should be handed to Anwar Ibrahim, chairman of the People's Justice Party and leader of the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Anwar was released from prison after a royal pardon in 2015. He was imprisoned as Najib's prime minister for alleged sodomy charges.
Mahathir said that a powerful coalition was needed to overthrow Najib and that past differences should be set aside.
"I work well with Anwar," said Mahathir, "in two or three years, when I retire, I will give him the post of prime minister. It does not matter to me. "
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