KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has described China as a neighbour for “almost 2,000 years,” arguing that Southeast Asian nations should strengthen ties with Beijing rather than submit to President Donald Trump’s trade war tactics.

In an interview with Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain, the politician who turned 100 yesterday painted China as a benevolent regional power while warning that Trump’s protectionist policies would ultimately damage America more than the rest of the world.

“The fact is that China is a neighbour and has been a neighbor of Malaysia for the past almost 2,000 years,” Dr Mahathir said, emphasising the deep historical relationship between the two nations.

He contrasted China’s approach with European expansion, stating: “The attitude of China is different from Europeans. The Chinese may invade, but they do not colonise.”

Dr Mahathir recalled how “the Portuguese, when they came here in 1509, two years later they conquered us,” drawing a sharp distinction between Chinese and Western imperial behavior.

When asked what he would tell Trump directly about his trade policies, Dr Mahathir delivered a blunt assessment: “I will tell him that he’s wrong. His strategy is wrong. It’s going to damage America more than the rest of the world.”

He argued that American industries relocated overseas “cannot come back to America in the short term,” meaning the US would continue importing products while paying higher tariffs.

Instead of capitulating to Washington’s demands, Dr Mahathir advocated for economic diversification: “The rest of the world is not imposing high tariffs. So we should increase our trade with the rest of the world. With China, for example.”

He suggested that countries could “mitigate the effect of Trump’s high tariffs by avoiding America” and strengthening relationships with other trading partners.

Addressing concerns about China’s political system, Dr Mahathir adopted a pragmatic stance: “We have lived with