Latest news with #MahathirMohamad
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Inward US policies will make China No 1, says Dr M
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says President Donald Trump has alienated the US from the rest of the world through his 'reciprocal' tariffs. PETALING JAYA : Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has warned that the US's inward-looking approach under President Donald Trump will only hasten China's rise as the world's leading superpower. Mahathir said China's deep-rooted civilisation and staying power make it well-positioned to overtake the US, even if Trump 'resents the idea that China might challenge' American dominance, Nikkei Asia reported. 'I don't think China is going to be easily defeated by the US. I don't think the US will recover and become No 1 again. 'It looks like China is going to be the No 1 country in the world,' he was quoted as saying at the annual Future of Asia conference in Tokyo. He said Trump had alienated the US from the rest of the world by making 'the whole world the enemy' through the imposition of 'reciprocal' tariffs that ultimately hurt American consumers more than others. 'I give Trump three months before he will have to do away with the tariffs,' he said, adding that the world's largest economy relies heavily on imports, especially microchips. Trump introduced the controversial tariff package on April 3, imposing a 10% baseline levy on most trading partners and steeper duties on dozens of countries and blocs, including the EU, UK, Canada, Mexico, and China. Global markets were rattled by the move, prompting the White House to later roll back or delay some of the new measures. A long-time critic of Western policies, Mahathir also accused Washington of fuelling tensions in the Taiwan Strait to justify arms sales to Taipei. He argued that friction between China and Taiwan is 'good for America' because Taiwan buys weapons from the US to arm itself, and has shown readiness to purchase more as part of the ongoing tariff negotiations. 'If there is no tension, (the US) will not be able to sell the sophisticated weapons that it has developed,' the 99-year-old said. 'I feel that if America had not provoked China, the situation (in Taiwan) would have remained as it was.' Mahathir also dismissed the idea that India could rival China's global posture, citing the country's ethnic and religious diversity, and its inability to function under a single dominant government. India is a country with many ethnicities and religions, he said, adding that for India to behave like China 'is not possible because India cannot have a singular government that rules the whole of India with no one challenging its position.'
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Dr Mahathir says China will overtake US and stay as world's top power, downplays India's potential as competitor
TOKYO, May 30 – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reportedly said China is poised to become the world's leading power, asserting that the United States lacks the capacity to halt its rise due to growing domestic preoccupations. Speaking at the Nikkei Future of Asia conference in Tokyo, Dr Mahathir said US President Donald Trump appeared threatened by China's emergence, but noted China's long-standing civilisation and resilience would ensure its ascendancy. 'China has been there much longer than the US ... I don't think China is going to be easily defeated by the US,' he was quoted saying by Nikkei Asia. 'I don't think the US will recover and become No. 1 again. China looks like it is going to be the No. 1 country in the world.' Dr Mahathir also criticised Trump's use of tariffs, saying they have alienated the US globally and would ultimately harm American consumers due to the country's reliance on imports, including high-tech components like microchips. 'Trump has made the whole world the enemy ... I give Trump three months before he will have to do away with the tariffs,' he reportedly said. Earlier this month in an interview with TIME magazine, Dr Mahathir had called out the superpower for its hypocrisy and disastrous foreign policies under Trump. However, he dismissed the idea that India could rival China's influence, citing its complex social structure and decentralised governance, which he said made it difficult for India to adopt a unified global posture. 'India cannot have a singular government that rules the whole of India with no one challenging its position,' he said. Dr Mahathir also expressed concern over the US dollar's dominance in international trade, arguing that it enables Washington to impose sanctions on other countries too easily. 'America has too much power to apply sanctions because they have control over trade settlements,' he said, advocating for a new gold-based international trading currency. In 2019, Dr Mahathir had proposed in Tokyo a new currency based on gold, citing it as more stable rather than the current currency trading which is manipulative.
NHK
3 days ago
- Business
- NHK
Mahathir Mohamad talks tariffs, conflict prevention
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gives NHK World's Kitai Genki his take on US tariffs, conflict prevention, the United Nations, and more.
Nikkei Asia
3 days ago
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Mahathir says China will be 'No. 1 country in the world'
TOKYO -- Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that China is destined to be the most prominent country, and that the U.S. will be unable to stop its rise given Washington's increasingly inward-looking nature. Speaking at Nikkei's annual Future of Asia conference in Tokyo on Friday, Mahathir said U.S. President Donald Trump "resents the idea that China might challenge" the U.S., but "China has been there much longer than the U.S."
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Federal Court dismisses bid for leave to appeal HSR case
On Jan 1, 2021, Malaysia and Singapore announced the termination of the 350km high-speed rail project. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Federal Court today dismissed Hatta Sanuri's application for leave to appeal in his attempt to reinstate a lawsuit challenging the cancellation of the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project. A three-member bench comprising Justices Zabariah Yusof, Abu Bakar Jais and Hanipah Farikullah unanimously ruled that the legal questions posed failed to meet the threshold under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964. Delivering the court's decision, Zabariah held that the matter was interlocutory in nature and did not involve any novel legal issue or question of public importance. She noted that the issues raised, specifically those relating to locus standi and justiciability, had been conclusively settled in existing case law. She also said the court viewed frivolous legal claims with seriousness and observed that the questions of law submitted were verbose and lacked precision. 'If the questions were drafted well, then maybe we could ventilate,' said Zabariah in dismissing Hatta's application for leave, with no order as to costs. This decision brings to an end Hatta's legal challenge against the government, former prime ministers Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin, former economic affairs minister Mustapa Mohamed and former transport minister Wee Ka Siong. Hatta had sought leave to appeal the Court of Appeal's decision on Jan 16, 2024, which upheld the High Court's ruling that his suit was non-justiciable and disclosed no reasonable cause of action. Hatta filed the suit on his behalf and on behalf of over 32 million Malaysians allegedly affected by the cancellation of the project on Dec 30, 2022. In the statement of claim, he sought an order for the court to declare the cancellation of the project null and void, as well as for all the defendants to pay RM1 million in compensation to him and all Malaysians for wrongfully and negligently cancelling the HSR project. On Jan 1, 2021, Malaysia and Singapore announced the termination of the 350km project after the two countries failed to reach an agreement on changes proposed by Malaysia before the project agreement expired on Dec 31, 2020. The project was expected to provide direct travel between Malaysia and Singapore, with a travelling time of 90 minutes from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Hatta was represented by counsel Mohaji Selamat, while senior federal counsel Donald Joseph Franklin appeared on behalf of the government.
