KUALA LUMPUR: An overview by Singapore’s Asean Studies Centre that external ties between Asean countries including Malaysia with the current United States (US) administration has changed is inaccurate.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the centre's survey only involved 318 respondents and does represent the entire Asean community of 640 million people.
"The findings were also made before visits by the Washingthon Administration to Asean including its Vice-President Mike Pence's visit to Jakarta, State Secretary Rex Tillerson to Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
"…and if this survey was done after the visit, certainly the findings would be different," he told the Dewan Negara today.
Reezal was replying to a question from Senator Datuk Hoh Khai Mun who asked what efforts were taken in strengthening Malaysia's relationship with the US administration following the Asean Studies Center survey.
Reezal said Malaysia and nine other Asean countries were still looking at the US as one of the key partners in policy-making process.
"We are not only have Asean Plus US but there are also Asean Plus China, Asean Plus Japan, Asean Plus Russia. This shows Asean’s pragmatism in the region and is not only focused on Superpowers.
"That is why when there is a breach of security in the region, we see that we are not dictated by only one country.
"The most important thing, peace can happen through a balancing act… as much as you see our relationship with China, it is just as much as our relationship with the United States," he said.
Reezal further stated that Malaysia's bilateral relationship with the United States could be seen through the country's trading sector and fight against terrorism.
He said both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and US President Donald Trump attended the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in May proving that Malaysia is standing on the same platform to fight terrorism.