KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for "aggressive" diplomatic engagement to resolve disputes in the South China Sea, rejecting interference of external parties.

Anwar made the remarks on Thursday at the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR) held in Kuala Lumpur, according to Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

Taking a question from a Philippine delegate on Malaysia's approach as the ASEAN Chair for 2025 to address the Philippines' concerns in the South China Sea, Anwar said Malaysia will continue its active engagement within the ASEAN framework.

Anwar pointed out that Malaysia has been "rather successful" in dealing with the South China Sea issue diplomatically, "because we are deemed and seemed to be really neutral in the engagement."

The prime minister reiterated that the issue must be resolved among ASEAN member countries and China, without the interference of external parties.

"There should not be involvement with other parties because it will be deemed to be more complex and will complicate the matter," he said.