Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's suggestion that Taiwan is a breakaway Chinese province — and that force could be justified to take it — has drawn a sharp rebuke from Taipei and pushback at home.

• Taiwan's foreign ministry condemned the comments, saying threats of force damage regional stability and trust between the two countries.
• Anwar made the remarks in an Al Jazeera interview, comparing Taiwan to a Malaysian state trying to leave the federation.
• A Malaysian writer who studied in Taiwan said Anwar misread the history: the Republic of China moved to Taiwan in 1949 and has run its own democratic government, with its own currency, ever since.
• The real reason China has not attacked, that writer argued, is cost — US bases in Guam and South Korea sit nearby, and the Taiwan Strait is a major shipping lane.
• Malaysia's government played down the row, with its communications minister saying the cabinet never discussed Taiwan's response.

Outlook: Expect the spat to stay verbal, though Malaysia has reason to tread carefully given how much it relies on Taiwan for chips and tech know-how.