By KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia’s foreign minister stressed on Saturday that his country remained independent in foreign policy after some social media users and opposition politicians lambasted him for referring to his Chinese counterpart as his “elder brother”.Hishammuddin Hussein, on his first visit to China as foreign minister, had expressed hope that he and Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi would pursue closer ties between the nations, including post-COVID-19 cooperation and fighting the pandemic.However he provoked controversy back home when he told his counterpart in a joint...…By KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia’s foreign minister stressed on Saturday that his country remained independent in foreign policy after some social media users and opposition politicians lambasted him for referring to his Chinese counterpart as his “elder brother”.Hishammuddin Hussein, on his first visit to China as foreign minister, had expressed hope that he and Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi would pursue closer ties between the nations, including post-COVID-19 cooperation and fighting the pandemic.However he provoked controversy back home when he told his counterpart in a joint...WW…

By , KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, on Tuesday urged Asian countries to remain “vigilant” over the risk of U.S. strategy stoking geopolitical competition in the South China Sea and other parts of the region.Beijing and members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) should work together to remove “external disruption” in the South China Sea, Wang said during a joint news conference with Malaysia’s foreign minister.“We (China and Malaysia) are both of the view that the South China Sea should not be a ground for major...…By , KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, on Tuesday urged Asian countries to remain “vigilant” over the risk of U.S. strategy stoking geopolitical competition in the South China Sea and other parts of the region.Beijing and members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) should work together to remove “external disruption” in the South China Sea, Wang said during a joint news conference with Malaysia’s foreign minister.“We (China and Malaysia) are both of the view that the South China Sea should not be a ground for major...WW…

By KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia criticised the World Health Organisation on Monday for advising adults to avoid palm oil in their diet during the COVID-19 outbreak and use alternatives such as olive oil.The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said in a recent advisory that people should consume unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils rather than saturated fats found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oils, cream, cheese, ghee and lard.Malaysia, the world’s second-biggest producer of palm oil, said such advice was...…By KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia criticised the World Health Organisation on Monday for advising adults to avoid palm oil in their diet during the COVID-19 outbreak and use alternatives such as olive oil.The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said in a recent advisory that people should consume unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils rather than saturated fats found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oils, cream, cheese, ghee and lard.Malaysia, the world’s second-biggest producer of palm oil, said such advice was...WW…