US will only harm itself: Chinese defense ministry slams US defense chief for hyping ‘China threat’ at Shangri-La Dialogue

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Chinese expert rips into US Shangri-La speech, debunks 'China Threat' point by point

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense Photo: Ministry of National Defense

In response to the negative comments by US defense secretary on China at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, which exaggerated the "China threat" narrative, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, stated on Sunday that the US is accustomed to creating disputes, inciting confrontation, and pursuing selfish interests at the Shangri-La Dialogue. The remarks made by the US defense secretary were filled with deeply ingrained hegemonic logic, bullying behavior, and Cold War mentality. They seriously provoke China's sovereignty and interests, distort China's policy positions, and grossly disregard the joint efforts of regional countries to maintain prosperity and stability, Zhang said. This stance of the US is in serious deviation from the common aspiration of countries around the world for peace and development. We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this, Zhang said, according to a statement released on the WeChat account of China's Ministry of National Defense on Sunday.

Zhang stated that the US's actions are evident to the international community. Driven by selfish interests, the US has initiated tariff and trade wars, imposing exorbitant levies globally. It has formed exclusionary cliques and engaged in bloc confrontations, raising deep concerns among various countries, said Zhang. It has strengthened military deployments in the Asia-Pacific region, grossly intervened in the internal affairs of other countries, and incited tensions. The facts repeatedly prove that the US is going against the tide of the times and acting unilaterally, which will only backfire on the US itself, Zhang said.

The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affairs, and the US has no right to make irresponsible remarks or to attempt using this as a bargaining chip to contain China. The Chinese People's Liberation Army will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will firmly crush any "Taiwan independence" separatist schemes and any external interference. Our determination is unwavering, and our capabilities and means are strong and reliable, said Zhang.

The spokesperson noted that the South China Sea is internationally recognized as one of the busiest and safest shipping routes. He stated that China will persist in resolving differences through dialogue and consultation with relevant countries, uphold territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with the law, and collaborate with regional countries to build a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation. The US is bent on sowing chaos in the South China Sea by forming alliances and stirring up trouble, which poses the greatest threat to regional peace and stability, Zhang said.

China has always been a guardian and promoter of peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese military will work together with regional countries to jointly oppose hegemonism that harms the Asia-Pacific, to oppose the introduction of geopolitical conflicts into the Asia-Pacific, and resist any country or force creating chaos. Zhang affirmed that China will actively implement the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and the "three global initiatives," working together to maintain long-term peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.- Global Times

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ASEAN-China-GCC Summit in Malaysia sets an example for global cross-regional cooperation

 Chinese Premier Li Qiang gives his opening remarks during the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Malaysia on 27 May, 2025. Photo: AFP

The successful convening of the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit in Malaysia has been widely recognized as a "landmark" event of major significance. The Joint Statement of the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit adopted at the summit marks the transition of cooperation among the parties from concept to reality. This summit not only showcased the surging momentum of Global South solidarity but also expanded the horizon of cross-regional cooperation and inter-civilizational integration. The three parties view their differences as opportunities for cooperation and promote development through unity, which not only responds to the common aspirations of Global South countries but also provides a new model of cooperation for the world.

The fruitful outcomes of the first trilateral summit are clearly reflected in the Joint Statement of the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit. In the economic area, the three sides agreed to leverage their complementarities to strengthen collaboration in the fields such as trade, investment and finance, promote economic integration, and enhance industrial and supply chain resilience. In promoting the de-escalation of regional tensions, the three parties jointly called on all sides involved in Middle East conflicts to refrain from targeting civilians and to uphold international humanitarian law, thereby laying a cornerstone for regional peace and stability. The three sides will also deepen cooperation in cultural exchanges, energy security and sustainability, as well as digital transformation and innovation. In addition, to further facilitate the movement of people between China and other countries, China has decided to expand its visa-free policy, now covering all GCC member states. With the implementation of the aforementioned outcomes, trilateral cooperation will surely advance to a higher level, broader areas, and deeper dimensions.

Beyond bringing certainty to the region and the world, the trilateral cooperation holds a deeper and more unique significance. 

It transcends the once-popular notion of a so-called "clash of civilizations" by transforming differences in cultural traditions and stages of development into powerful drivers of complementary collaboration. This, in turn, unveils a new chapter of mutual learning among human civilizations.

If viewed through the lens of bloc confrontation, the trilateral cooperation would be seen as friction among different religions and as a geopolitical tug-of-war forcing countries to take sides. However, from the perspective of a "shared future," what emerges is something entirely different: the GCC with its vast energy reserves and multi-trillion-dollar sovereign wealth funds; ASEAN's manufacturing strength and its emerging consumer market of nearly 700 million people; and China's formidable industrial capacity, technological innovation, and infrastructure-building expertise. Together, these elements signal enormous development potential and ample room for win-win cooperation. As one Qatari economic expert observed, "Everyone will benefit from this historic summit."

China, ASEAN, and GCC countries together account for roughly a quarter of the world's population and global economic output. The groundbreaking cooperation among the three parties sends a clear message to the world: Unity and joint development are not distant dreams but a tangible path already unfolding. This cooperation is not a "victory" for any one side, but an epitome of peace and development, cooperation and mutual benefit. In the face of the increasingly severe realities of global deficits in peace, development, and trust, the trilateral summit has injected new vitality into the maintenance and practice of multilateralism. 

In the future, countries in the Global South, such as those in Africa, Latin America, and beyond, can certainly envision a richer imagination in building a comprehensive cross-regional cooperation network and achieving open and inclusive development.

In this "big triangle," China is both a participant and a supporter, injecting new momentum into tripartite cooperation through its own high-quality development. Whether from China's economic data or the global capital rush to invest in China, it is evident that the Chinese economy, having weathered storms, has become deeper, richer, and more inclusive. This stability, certainty, and inclusiveness provide a solid foundation for the international community, including ASEAN and GCC countries, to trust and invest in China. 

The recent announcement of the completion of the negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area has fostered more positive expectations regarding China's completion of free trade agreement negotiations with the GCC. It is believed that with the enhancement of trilateral trade levels, China, ASEAN, and GCC countries will all further benefit from open cooperation.

Just as President Xi Jinping said, "For us to break through the mist and embrace a bright future, the biggest strength comes from cooperation and the most effective way is through solidarity." This "1+1+1" cooperation model among China, ASEAN, and the GCC is a concentrated embodiment of this spirit. It not only benefits each individual party but also contributes to a greater overall increment for Asia and the world as a whole. 

It is believed that the three parties will unite to generate tremendous strength, bringing a more prosperous and stable development outlook for the region and the world, injecting continuous positive energy into the cause of world peace and development, and providing lasting momentum for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. -Global Times

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How Asean can ease the birth pains of the multipolar world

 

Don’t bite the scammers’ bait

 

PETALING JAYA: Staying alert and cautious about potentially deceptive online links is not just a matter of good practice; it is an essential defence against cunning scammers who aim to drain the bank accounts of unsuspecting victims.

Recently, scammers have exploited various forms of monetary and welfare aid offered online by the government, particularly targeting the lower-­income group by masking hyperlinks to deceive applicants.

Certified fraud examiner and anti-money laundering specialist Raymon Ram (pic) advises that being cautious of suspicious online links can help reduce the risk of online scams.

He said that in addition to emails, malicious links are now appearing across various channels, including short message services (SMS), WhatsApp or Telegram applications, social media posts and pop-up windows.

These links frequently disguise themselves as coming from reputable sources, including government agencies, banks and various service providers.

“Scammers have become skilled at making their links appear legitimate, but there are several red flags online users could look out for,” he said.

He said scammers often create websites that mimic real organisations by adding small typos or extra words to genuine website addresses to hoodwink their potential victims.

Raymon said users should check the core or root domain that comes before the top domain, like “dot com”, “dot gov”, or “dot my”, to make sure it matches the real one they want to use.

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“Users should be aware that the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocol (HTTPS) does not assure safety, and neither does the padlock icon, as scammers can easily obtain these certificates.

“HTTPS alone does not prove a site’s legitimacy, as it simply means the data sent is encrypted,” said the founder and managing principal of Graymatter Forensic Advisory, a company that specialises in financial forensics.

He said scammers also insert messages that appear urgent or may emotionally trigger users to react and proceed without caution.

“Examples of such messages include phrases like ‘your account will be suspended’ or ‘claim your prize now’.

“Other indicators of potential scams are poor grammar, misspellings and generic greetings.

“Also, in contrast, legitimate organisations typically address individuals by their names and maintain a professional and formal tone.

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“Users are also advised to preview or scrutinise links to ascertain their destinations before clicking on them.

“If users are unsure, it’s best to avoid such links and verify their authenticity with the institution they are trying to reach,” Raymon said.

Asked whether a single click on a scam link can result in the loss of someone’s bank account, he clarified that it typically requires multiple actions for users to lose their funds.

Raymon said there are three main pathways that lead to online theft, namely through phishing websites – where a user clicks a link and lands on a fake bank login page before providing their username, password and one-time code.

Scammers eventually use the details to access the real account and transfer money, he added.

He said another tactic is to embed malicious mobile applications such as APK files.

“A user clicks on a link that tells them to install an unofficial Android app.

“The app takes over the device and reads SMS messages, intercepts OTPs, or puts up fake banking screens to get login information.

“These programmes allow scammers to watch the user’s activities and capture sensitive information.

“Hence, it is not the first click itself that empties a bank account but a chain of actions that occurred earlier,” he said.

He said scammers also hide dangerous links to trick people, which is a common method used in phishing and other scams.

“Scammers may hide links in several different ways.

“One example would be putting up a button or text that says ‘Visit Bank Negara’, but a hidden link that takes people to a different website,” Raymon said.

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How Asean can ease the birth pains of the multipolar world

 

Power shift: Asean has a big opportunity this week to help usher in the new world order. — Bernama

ON April 2, US President Donald Trump smashed the World Trade Organisation’s system of multilateral trade by announcing the imposition of tariffs, starting at midnight on April 9, on imports from “cheater” countries that were engaging in unfair trade practice. To Trump, a cheater is one that exports more goods to the United States than it imports.

This is nonsensical reasoning. A bilateral trade deficit is not evidence of being “cheated” because the payment to my barber does not mean that I have been cheated and my salary does not imply that my employer has been bamboozled. This nonsense shows that the tariff war is only marginally related to unfair trade practices. The two key reasons for the tariffs are to increase wages by bringing manufacturing jobs back to America and to cement US primacy in the global order with a show of force.

Tragically, the tariffs will neither revive manufacturing nor preserve US primacy. Tariffs will temporarily expand employment in a few sunset industries, but wages will remain stagnant because productivity growth potential in those sectors is nonexistent.

The immediate response to Trump’s show of force were precipitous collapses in the prices of US stocks and bonds, and the value of the US dollar. Investors recognised that this Great Wall of Tariffs had isolated the US economy, inevitably impoverishing it. Hence, 13 hours after the tariffs came into force, Trump suspended them for every trading partner except China. This climbdown made clear that the real target is China, which the US perceives to be an unfriendly power (eg, being friendly to Iran) that is engaging in unfair trading practices (eg piracy of US technologies).

The economist Adam Smith had anticipated this kind of clash in 1776. He observed that the three centuries of globalisation that began with the discovery of the Americas in 1492 and the discovery of the sea route from Europe to India in 1498 had overwhelmingly benefited Europe because its much greater military might enabled it to pillage instead of trade.

Smith, however, foresaw a reversal: the diffusion of technology through trade would eventually narrow the gap between the two groups. The economic rise of Japan, South Korea, China, and India is ushering in today’s messy transition from a unipolar to a multipolar order.

Asean should be guided by two understandings in navigating this transition.

The first is that the current US-China confrontation stems from their shared recognition that the prevention of war would require an eventual agreement on their respective spheres of influence. We are witnessing a defensive race between them to expand their spheres of influence, which is why the US has asserted its rights over Canada, Greenland, Panama, and Gaza; and China’s nine-dash line in the South China Sea has brought its maritime border to the doorstep of several Asean nations.

States that lock themselves into Washington’s orbit will be under strong pressure to decouple from Chinese technology and to shrink commercial ties with the world’s largest trader – sacrificing not only today’s access to the Chinese market (prospectively, tomorrow’s access to India) and compromising their sovereignty.

The second understanding is that this transition has created systemic dangers that require institutional responses. These new dangers include the Thucydides Trap which is the risk of war between rising and established powers; the Kindleberger Trap where inadequate international cooperation leads to ineffective handling of global disasters like climate change; and the Tragedy of the Commons which identifies the coming collapse of the food chain.

The Cold War 2.0 is causing growing collateral damage to Asean. A viable alternative to membership by Asean states in one of the spheres of influence is for Asean to cooperate with other middle power countries to form a nonpartisan club that functions as a buffer zone between the spheres of influence.

It is crucial for this club to achieve critical mass quickly – being big enough in population and GDP to earn begrudging acceptance by Washington, Beijing, and Moscow for its right to remain a neutral force. To achieve critical mass quickly, the founding group of countries must be kept to a manageable number to ease negotiations.

Asean must avoid instinctively shaping a Global South response like convening a new Bandung Conference (which brought together 29 newly independent Asian and African countries in 1955). The goal is not to accentuate class warfare at the international level but to maintain economic globalisation, world peace, and environmental sustainability.

To achieve critical mass quickly, this club must also bridge the Global South and the Global North. After establishing deep cooperation among Asean, Japan and South Korea (thereby setting the tone of North-South cooperation), this Asian grouping should propose to the European Union and United Kingdom the formation of the Atlantic-Pacific Sustainability Partnership (APSP).

The APSP would serve three core functions: (a) defend economic globalisation with a free trade area based on open regionalism; (b) defend global peace and environmental sustainability with a sustainability caucus to reduce tensions among major powers and coordinate actions on common challenges like pandemics; and (c) defend mutual aid with a development assistance agency guided by the 17 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to counterbalance the use of development aid by major powers as a means of political influence.

Given the accelerated growth of Asean under this new system, the economic weight of the APSP would be more than twice that of China or the US by 2045, making it necessary for US and China to join the APSP to avoid defeat through self-marginalisation.

When this happens, the APSP would have crowded out Cold War 2.0 with cooperative multilateralism.- by  Prof Datuk Dr Woo Wing Thye

Renowned economist Prof Datuk Dr Woo Wing Thye is a visiting professor at Universiti Malaya and research professor at Sunway University. He is also Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Davis; University Chair Professor at Liaoning University; and Distinguished Fellow at the Penang Institute. 

The views expressed here are solely the writer’s own.

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Health Ministry cracks down on fake meds

 PETALING JAYA: Over 6,000 units of unregistered supplements worth RM16mil have been confiscated in the past five years, but fake medicines are still freely available in the market.

The Health Ministry is now intensifying efforts to crack down on such counterfeit medicines, telling consumers to exercise caution when purchasing medicines or supplements online.

“These fake health products are often sold by irresponsible individuals who are more interested in profit than public safety,” its Pharmacy Enforcement Division told The Star.

The Star had reported on Saturday that supplements were being sold online with fake holograms and questionable content.

Counterfeit supplements often do not contain the correct active ingredients while some may contain too much, too little or none at all – and could be ineffective in treating a condition or make it worse.

“Many also contain dangerous or toxic substances. Additionally, these products are often manufactured in unsanitary environments, raising the risk of contamination,” it said.

To safeguard public health, the division is intensifying efforts to monitor websites, social media platforms and online market­places to detect and investigate the sale of counterfeit products.

“Any identified links or listings will be subject to legal action,” it said.

The division is also working closely with major e-commerce and social media platforms to ensure fake listings are swiftly removed and repeat offenders are dealt with accordingly so items are taken off the market quickly.

In Malaysia, all pharmaceutical products and health supplements must be registered with the ­ministry’s Drug Control Authority and need a valid registration number, which begins with MAL followed by a number. These packages will also have a security hologram on the packaging.

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“Since 2005, the use of security holograms has played an important role in safeguarding consu­mers from counterfeit products.

“In 2019, the ministry introduced the FarmaTag hologram to enhance and modernise the existing system. FarmaTag allows consumers and enforcement authorities to verify the authenticity of registered products,” it said.

Although counterfeiters have attempted to imitate the hologram, genuine products can still be identified by examining the unique security elements embedded in the FarmaTag label.

The ministry also encouraged consumers to scan the hologram using the FarmaChecker mobile application upon receiving the product, and is also organising public education initiatives to raise awareness.

“One key initiative is the Tolak Ubat Tidak Sah (TOBaTS) campaign, a nationwide effort to educate the public about the dangers of using unregistered and counterfeit medicines,” the division said.

It also advised consumers to buy their medicines and supplements from reputable sources such as licensed pharmacies or verified platforms, and to be wary of heavi­ly discounted products online as these are often counterfeits.

“Fake supplements can cause serious health complications, especially when consumed without proper medical supervision,” it said.

Genuine products should always come in sealed original manufacturer packaging, it said.

“If possible, compare the product with previous purchases. Any noticeable changes in pill size, shape, colour, taste or markings should raise suspicion,” it noted.

“Be cautious of tablets or capsules that appear cracked, powdery or unusually coated with excess powder or crystals.”

Buyers can report sellers of counterfeits, especially those operating through online channels, to the division.

“Consumers should also be on guard against unsolicited offers, particularly through spam emails or flashy advertisements on social media platforms. These are common tactics used by counterfeit product sellers to lure unsuspecting buyers with ‘too-good-to-be true’ deals,” the division said.

Consumers can also visit the National Pharmaceutical Regula­tory Agency’s website at http://npra.moh.gov.my to verify the registration status of any health products. Counterfeit products can also be reported through the Public Agency Complaints Man­agement System (SisPAA).

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