For a secure and peaceful Southeast Asia, Malaysia needs to have a robust and independent foreign policy and should see itself as an aspiring middle power in the context of great power rivalry. Malaysia should see itself as an aspiring middle power. There are multiple definitions of what constitutes a middle power and I do not intend to dwell on them. The key is to be strategic and proactive in Malaysia’s conduct of foreign policy and diplomacy. We must realise that Malaysia’s economic fate and our people’s well-being require a robust yet balanced foreign policy.
