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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is prepared to negotiate with China over the South China Sea dispute, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the issue was raised at the four-eyed meeting he had with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his official visit to China being that the national oil and gas company, Petronas, has the largest platform for oil exploration operating in the area

“China is also staking claim over the area. I said as a small country that needs oil and gas resources, we have to continue, but if the condition is that there must be negotiations, then we are ready to negotiate,” he said when speaking at the Prime Minister’s Monthly Assembly with Staff of the Prime Minister’s Department (JPM) here today.

Anwar said he also touched on the issue of Myanmar and the Rohingya refugees, despite knowing that China practices a policy of non-interference.

“China is close to Myanmar, but its policy is not to interfere. I said we do not intend to interfere in their affairs, but there are almost 200,000 Rohingya refugees here. So, whether we like it or not, what is happening in Myanmar in denying the rights of Myanmar’s own people, including the Rohingya, affects us,” he said.