Lee Chee Leong

Lee Chee Leong

Senior Lecturer, Institute of China Studies (ICS), University of Malaya

Lee Chee Leong is Senior Lecturer in the Institute of China Studies (ICS), University of Malaya. An avid Taiwan observer, he specialises in Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations, Taiwan’s soft power and quasi-state diplomacy in Southeast Asia, Taiwanese digital social innovation (DSI) and the Tsai administration’s New Southbound Policy (NSP). His edited book Taiwan and Southeast Asia: Soft Power and Hard Truths Facing China’s Ascendancy is slated to be published in 2023.

A general view of Malaysia's Bukit Bintang shopping district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 19 January 2022. (Hussain Hasnoor/Reuters)

Taiwan can be key driver of Malaysia’s industrial upgrading

While it faces stiff competition from countries in the region such as Vietnam, Malaysia stands in good stead to win high-quality investments from Taiwan.