KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 ― Newly-elected Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Malaysia, as a trading nation, will maintain good relations the international community without favouring any particular country or interfering with their domestic policies, system and governance.  

He said trade was important to the economy and Malaysia could not afford to quarrel with other countries due to ideological differences.

"We are very keen to ensure that the market for our products will be as large as possible,” he told reporters after his first presidential council meeting with Pakatan Harapan component party leaders here today.

Dr Mahathir also stressed that Malaysia would take a neutral stance and would not take part in any move by big powers to impose sanctions against countries which disagreed with them.

"Our business is to establish relations. Big powers are deciding on their own and they will not interfere with our policies.

"But of course, we are aware of big powers who want to impose sanctions on countries which do not respect or agree with them,” he said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Malaysia’s foreign affairs stance was one of the issues discussed with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong last night.

Asked on the ringgit, he said there were uncertainties shrouding the domestic unit as the newly-minted government had yet to form a full government.

"We have only just appointed a prime minister, who will then have to form a Cabinet. After that, we will have to talk to all departments to find out what have been done,” he said.

The ringgit was quoted at 3.9480/9530 against the US dollar on Tuesday before the 14th general election. ― Bernama