Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (Photo: asia.nikkei.com) Hanoi (VNA) - Malaysia will continue to fight for free and fair trade inorder to protect the interests of developing nations, the Bernama newsagency quoted Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as saying.
He told the media onNovember 17 when attending the 26th Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Port Moresby of Papua NewGuinea that developed nations want the continuation of free trade or aglobalised world because these ideas originated from them and were influencedby multinational corporations that owned a lot of products.
“If we want to enter themanufacturing field, we need to protect our own industries. If we don’t dothis, we will not be able to compete with these developed nations,” he said.
Developed countriesdefinitely do not want developing nations to be able to compete against them,he said, adding that the majority of corporations from these developed nations wantlarger markets, including those from less developed countries.
According to the PM, many underdevelopedcountries are afraid to voice their views because they fear what can be done tothem. “We are also afraid but if we do not voice out, no one will speak andthese developed nations will be able to do whatever they want until we becomepoor,” he said.
Mahathir is leading aMalaysian delegation to the 26th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Papua NewGuinea from November 17-18.-VNA
