During an informal meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Singapore, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has a reputation for straight talking, immediately launched into a warning about the dangers ofhaving China stationed in the South China Seas, prompting New Zealand officials to ask the media to leave the room, the New Zealand Herald reported on Thursday. Mahathir is known for his concerns over China, calling its leadership as “inclined towards totalitarianism” and unashamed to “flex [its] muscles” in order to “increase [its] influence”. His China strategy in recent months is being viewed by some in the region as a model of how smaller countries should deal with a more assertive Beijing, writes Bhavan Jaipragas and Tashny Sukumaran for South China Morning Post.