Is China’s belt and road colonialism? Mahathir: not at all

Malaysian prime minister denies his comments on free trade during a visit to Beijing were a dig at its rising economic influence – but sticks to his objections against Forest City and his description of Jews as ‘hook-nosed’

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Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was typically forthright in today’s BBC interview. Photo: AP

Published: 7:45pm, 2 Oct 2018Updated: 8:00pm, 2 Oct 2018

Was Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s recent warning of a “new version of colonialism” rising in Asia a veiled attack at China?

Far from it, the 93-year-old said in a wide-ranging BBC HardTalk interview that aired on Tuesday.

Some Western geopolitics watchers had suggested Mahathir’s comments during a joint press conference with Premier Li Keqiang during an August visit to Beijing were an expression of his new government’s unease over China’s rising economic and strategic dominance in Asia.

Mahathir made the comment after Li, asked about Beijing’s ongoing trade war with the United States, turned to the elder statesman and asked if Malaysia supported free trade.

[Chinese investors are] still coming, they still want to invest in Malaysia

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad

Mahathir replied that “free trade should also be fair trade”, adding there should not be a situation where “there is a new version of colonialism happening because poor countries are unable to compete with rich countries”.

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