Malaysia

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang shake hands during a bilateral meeting held at the Liyuan Guest House, 17 September 2023. (fotoBernama)

Anwar's China trips: Is Malaysia putting China before the West?

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made his second visit to China in September to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo just months after his last visit in March. While Anwar has repeatedly insisted that Malaysia’s relations with the US and other Western countries remain strong, his active engagement of China draws questions over Malaysia’s emphasis in foreign policy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for a signing ceremony during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, 10 June 2018. (Aly Song/File Photo/Reuters)

The new ‘standard map’: China incurs India’s wrath

In India’s view, a new “standard map” unveiled just before India’s hosting of the G20 summit in New Delhi is a deliberate initiative by China to express its discontent with India on the border issue. With bilateral ties between India and China already in bad shape, the new map further complicates the relationship. Researcher Rishi Gupta explains.
This picture taken on 11 March 2023 shows people riding in a trishaw in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP)

From Borneo to Penang: Preserving our culture and language for future generations

If languages and cultural practices are disappearing fast in the indigenous communities of Borneo to the Chinese community in Penang and elsewhere, can digital technology and AI play a bigger role to document pieces of our identity that can be preserved beyond time and space?
Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim during his visit to China. (Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia)

PM Anwar's civilisational approach to the Malaysia-China relationship

Given the "civilisational lens" through which Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim views Malaysia-China relations, Anwar probably agrees more with the pluralistic vision contained in China’s Global Civilizational Initiative than the binary vision of “democracy versus autocracy” popular in Washington today.
People wearing protective masks cross a street outside a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 6 September 2021. (Lim Huey Teng/Reuters)

Malaysia resurfacing the Asian Monetary Fund: Will the idea take off this time?

An Asian Monetary Fund was first mooted by Japan during the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 1990s, but did not quite take off then. Now, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim resurfacing the proposal during his recent trip to China, is the prospect of an AMF more likely today than it was 26 years ago?
Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister of international trade and industry. (SPH Media)

Q&A: Malaysia’s new trade minister explains why China matters to Southeast Asia

Caixin sat down for an exclusive interview with Malaysia’s new Minister of International Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January. He spoke about Malaysia's and ASEAN's relations with China, and his thoughts on regional and global trade.
Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's prime minister, speaks during an interview in Singapore, on 30 January 2023. (Ore Huiying/Bloomberg)

Anwar's China policy

While it is still unclear if the Anwar Ibrahim administration has a clear China policy in place, the general trajectory is a positive posture towards China. Even so, the relationship can be expanded and strengthened beyond economic numbers to channelling the benefits of cooperation to local SMEs, and broadening cooperation to areas where the prime minister has shown great personal interest, such as inter-civilisational dialogue.
Malaysia's newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim waves from his car as he arrives to take part in the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 24 November 2022. (Fazry Ismail/Pool/AFP)

Will Malaysia's Anwar adopt a 'pro-West' stance?

Malaysian researcher Liew Wui Chern explains why geographical dictates and long-held principles mean that Malaysia’s foreign policy is unlikely to change drastically under Anwar, at least for now.
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.