Malaysian Head of State Visits China to Strengthen Strategic and Infrastructure Cooperation
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, Malaysian Head of State Ibrahim visited Beijing at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two heads of state are expected to discuss strengthening cooperation in strategic and infrastructure sectors.
Ibrahim arrived in Beijing on Thursday, September 19, for a four-day state visit. He will meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday, then hold talks with Xi Jinping and attend a state banquet.
This time, after 10 years, a Malaysian head of state has visited China again. In an interview with Bernama news agency on Thursday, Malaysian Ambassador to China Norman Mohd said the head of state’s trip coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China and that he will welcome the diplomatic achievements of the two countries on important issues.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stressed that China will deepen the integration of development strategies with Malaysia, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and promote new achievements in building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.
Recent High-Level Visits Between Malaysia and China
In the past two years, senior officials from the two countries have often exchanged visits. After Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar took office in November 2022, he visited China twice in nine months. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid went to China in May this year to attend the celebration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, and visited China; also in early September, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji visited Kuala Lumpur in May last year, and Li Qiang also visited in June this year.
Scholar: Malaysia’s Neutral Manufacturing Base Attracts Both Chinese and Western Companies
Francis Hutchinson, director of the Malaysian Studies Programme at the Yusof Ishak Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview that Anwar’s visit to China last year was aimed at demonstrating Malaysia’s diplomatic openness and attracting investment from China. Now the Malaysian head of state is coming to Beijing mainly to consolidate cooperation.
In June this year, Malaysia announced its application to join the BRIC countries led by China and Russia, further demonstrating its friendship with China.
Hutchinson stressed that given the disruption of global supply chains and the trend towards “friendshoring”, Malaysia, as a neutral manufacturing base, is attractive to both Chinese and Western companies.
“Malaysia has a number of potential large-scale infrastructure projects and its geographical location also holds a strategic advantage. It is an important potential market for China, which has slow economic growth.”
Scholar: China Believes Malaysia Can Lead ASEAN Agenda to Avoid Controversial Issues
Le Liang Hock, senior research fellow at the Yusof Issa Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, said Malaysia will serve as the rotating chair of ASEAN next year. China believes Malaysia can lead the agenda and focus on cooperation between China and ASEAN while avoiding contentious issues such as the South China Sea.
Malaysia adheres to a constitutional monarchy, and the symbolic significance of the head of state is greater than its substantive significance. However, compared to previous heads of state, Ibrahim, who is also the Sultan of Johor, seems to be more active in international and diplomatic affairs. The Johor royal family also has close cooperation with Chinese investors, so Ibrahim’s trip has attracted more attention.
Malaysian political scientist Pan Yongqiang said that generally visits by Malaysian heads of state are ceremonial visits and do not involve specific agendas such as diplomacy and national defence, but Ibrahim could be an exception.
“The current head of state is quite active in business and intends to push China to increase investment in infrastructure to boost Johor’s economy, especially to save the China Country Garden Group’s Forest City project in the state.”
China is Johor’s largest source of foreign investment, and investments by Chinese-funded companies cover sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and real estate. Ibrahim has an equity stake in the Forest City project. He has supported the federal government to restart the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail project and establish a station in Forest City.
Pan Yongqiang pointed out that the accompaniment of Malaysian Transport Minister Luk Siu Fook this time may be related to Ibrahim’s concern to restart the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail plan.
When Li Qiang visited Malaysia in June this year, he said that China is willing to study with Malaysia to connect the East Coast Railway with the China-Laos Railway and the China-Thailand Railway, so that the concept of the Pan-Asian Railway Center can become a reality.
Xu Liping, a researcher at the Institute for Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: “The two countries have cooperated in the construction of the East Coast Railway, and the head of state of Malaysia also hopes to restart the Singapore-Kelung High-Speed Railway… Once this project is launched, China and Malaysia will have more room for cooperation.”
