Taiwan's foreign ministry has sharply condemned Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for suggesting Taiwan is a breakaway Chinese province and defending China's right to take it by force — bad news for Taiwan-Malaysia ties and for Taiwanese firms invested there.

• Anwar's remarks in a media interview implied Taiwan is part of China and justified Beijing using military force to unify it.
• Taipei called the comments false and dangerous, saying they hurt peace and stability in the region.
• Taiwan repeated its core position: it and the People's Republic of China do not belong to each other, and no outside claim changes that.
• Taipei pointedly noted Malaysia is a democracy and Anwar has long styled himself a defender of human rights, calling his stance a betrayal of those values.
• Trade between the two is close, so Taiwan warned the one-sided pro-Beijing tilt could scare off Taiwanese investment in Malaysia.

Outlook: Political trust between Taipei and Kuala Lumpur looks set to cool, with Taiwan leaning harder on like-minded partners across the Indo-Pacific.