By Phar Kim Beng
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- When diplomacy retreats from the noise of confrontation and slips quietly into the rhythm of listening, facilitation, mediation and mutual accommodation, it does not lose its strength - it gains traction.
Next week, Malaysia will host trade negotiations between the United States (US) and China ahead of the meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea.
The venue - Kuala Lumpur - was not chosen by accident. It is a deliberate nod to Malaysia’s growing reputation as a neutral and credible space for difficult conversations to unfold.
The fact that Washington and Beijing will meet first in Kuala Lumpur before their leaders see each other in Seoul is a testament to what can be called quiescent diplomacy: diplomacy that is patient, understated and quietly effective. It is not theatre, but therapy - a process of trust-building through calm engagement.
And at the heart of this new posture stands Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whose deliberate, grounded style of statecraft has made Malaysia the meeting ground of choice for rival powers seeking a pause before confrontation.
The Quiet Centre of Gravity
In recent years, Malaysia’s strategic location has again proven to be its greatest diplomatic asset.
Sitting astride the busy Straits of Malacca, the country is a maritime and economic bridge between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and by extension, between East and West.
But geography alone does not explain why Kuala Lumpur has become a convening capital for high-stakes diplomacy. The answer lies in Malaysia’s temperament under Anwar’s stewardship - a political culture that prizes dialogue over dominance and engagement over estrangement.
Anwar has turned what might appear as Malaysia’s small size into a strategic virtue. In the age of megaphone diplomacy, where global powers compete for headlines rather than harmony, Malaysia’s approach seems almost contrarian.
Yet, in this quiet contrarianism lies its credibility. Both the US and China see in Malaysia a trusted interlocutor - one that neither sides with Washington’s containment narrative nor Beijing’s assertive model of global influence.
Peace Whisperer in a Polarised World
Anwar’s “quiescent diplomacy” rests on a simple but profound logic: peace and trade are inseparable. Without stability, commerce withers; without prosperity, peace collapses.
His efforts to bridge divides - whether between Thailand and Cambodia over their border disputes, or between ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners over trade and technology - are rooted in this understanding.
Rather than presenting Malaysia as a “middle power” in the conventional sense, Anwar redefines what it means to mediate. He operates not as a broker chasing visibility but as a whisperer cultivating trust.
The word “whisperer” evokes restraint, subtlety and a deep understanding of human behaviour - traits that mark Anwar’s interactions with world leaders. It was this quiet persistence that persuaded both Washington and Beijing to see Kuala Lumpur as a safe stopover before the APEC Summit.
Quiescent diplomacy is not weakness; it is discipline. It requires the ability to resist the temptations of grandstanding.
When the world’s strongest economies spar over tariffs, semiconductors and rare earth elements, the temptation for smaller states to take sides is immense. Malaysia has chosen a different path - one that invites both sides to talk, not to trade accusations.
Trade as the Language of Peace
The upcoming US-China negotiations in Kuala Lumpur are more than just about tariffs.
They are about trust. Behind every economic quarrel lies a political wound - the erosion of confidence in global institutions and the fear that trade has become weaponised. Malaysia’s role is to remind both powers that economic interdependence, not decoupling, remains the bedrock of global prosperity.
In this sense, Anwar’s diplomacy echoes ASEAN’s own ethos of consensus and consultation. Just as ASEAN’s “centrality” lies in convening dialogue rather than imposing outcomes, Malaysia’s foreign policy under Anwar operates through persuasion rather than coercion. This makes the choice of Kuala Lumpur a natural fit for recalibrating trade expectations between Washington and Beijing.
Moreover, Malaysia’s hosting of the talks carries a strong message to the Global South: diplomacy does not have to be loud to be consequential. The future of trade stability depends not on new blocs or rival alliances, but on re-anchoring the principles of mutual gain, transparency and trust.
Malaysia Between Giants
It is often said that small states must choose between great powers. Yet, Malaysia demonstrates that principled neutrality can itself be a form of strategic strength. The country’s capacity to welcome both sides without fear or favour has long been part of its diplomatic DNA - from the days of the Non-Aligned Movement to today’s contested Indo-Pacific.
Anwar’s foreign policy instinct reflects Malaysia’s larger civilizational outlook - one that believes peace is a precondition for justice and prosperity. By offering Kuala Lumpur as a neutral venue for major trade deliberations, he signals that Southeast Asia can still be a stabilising force amid shifting tectonic plates of global power.
It is not lost on observers that this moment coincides with Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN. The synergy between national and regional diplomacy has never been clearer. If the Kuala Lumpur meeting can even partially de-escalate the tariff and technology tensions between Washington and Beijing, ASEAN will benefit through renewed investor confidence and stronger economic integration.
A Blueprint for the Future
The world is hungry for a model of diplomacy that works. The endless cycles of sanctions and retaliation have shown their limits. What the global economy needs now is a framework for restoring predictability and partnership. The Anwar approach - patient, inclusive and principle-driven - offers a possible template.
By bringing the United States and China to the same table, Malaysia demonstrates that influence in the 21st century is not about the size of armies or GDP, but about the ability to create space for peace.
Quiescent diplomacy, at its best, is not the absence of action but the mastery of timing - knowing when to speak, when to listen, and when to let understanding grow in the silence between words.
Conclusion
As Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare for their high-profile encounter in South Korea, the groundwork laid in Kuala Lumpur will quietly shape the tone and texture of their dialogue.
Malaysia’s role as host is more than ceremonial - it is symbolic of a country and a leader who believe that even the most fractious relationships can be repaired through patience, humility and foresight.
In an age where diplomacy often shouts, Malaysia has chosen to whisper. Yet in those whispers lie the seeds of peace and the promise of renewed global trade stability.
For a world teetering between cooperation and confrontation, Kuala Lumpur’s moment as the calm in the storm could not have come at a better time.
-- BERNAMA
Phar Kim Beng is a Director of the Institute of International and ASEAN Studies (IINTAS) at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of BERNAMA)
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
