Relations between the two countries have evolved considerably over the last half century. It is in China's interest to have a stable and prosperous Southeast Asia, says Asian Studies professor James Chin of the University of Tasmania.
Relations between the two countries have evolved considerably over the last half century. It is in China 's interest to have a stable and prosperous Southeast Asia, says Asian Studies professor James Chin of the University of Tasmania.
Then Malaysian prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein decided to establish formal ties with China to cement Malaysia’s reputation as a. He also understood the political significance of being one of the first countries in the region to do so amid China’s rise as a regional power. Since then, overall ties have been relatively smooth. The communist threat waned with a peace treaty and ultimate dissolution of the Malayan Communist Party in 1989. The opening up of China under Deng Xiaoping accelerated trade ties and Malaysia began to relax its policy of allowing Malaysian Chinese to visit China. In a generation, China became Malaysia’s largest trade partner.
From China’s perspective, Malaysia is probably the most important ASEAN country for geo-strategic reasons. Malaysia is the only country to straddle both sides of the South China Sea – peninsular Malaysia on one and Borneo on the other. Xiamen University has established a branch campus ten minutes’ drive from Putrajaya, Malaysia’s seat of power. Thousands of Malaysians enrol in Chinese universities every year, a trend that will continue.
Beijing’s hard power has grown and its soft power will only gain traction in the coming years. China must know that aggressively flexing its economic power or military might in the South China Sea could turn Southeast Asians against it.
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