KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Malaysia as part of a tour of Southeast Asia, which is believed to be providing a personal message that Beijing is a more reliable trading partner than the US amid the bruising war with Washington.
Xi arrived in the capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening. What was your first visit to Malaysia since 2013? He flew from Vietnam and signed dozens of trade cooperation agreements in Hanoi, ranging from artificial intelligence to railway development.
Xi Jinping said that deepening “high-level strategic cooperation” for the common interests of both China and Malaysia is a good thing for the peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world.
XI’s three country tour and his “message” of being a better friend of Southeast Asia than Northeast Asia’s evil administration emerges as the Association of Ten (ASEAN) Block (ASEAN) block is dissatisfied after the US imposed enormous tariffs on countries around the world.
“This is a very important visit. You can read a lot,” said Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, former U.S. ambassador to Malaysia and Minister of Justice.
“China tells us that they are more reliable trading partners than the US. We had no problems dealing with them,” Abdul Aziz told Al Jazeera.
“Under Prime Minister Anwar, Malaysia is very close [to China]. That’s good,” he added, saying Washington’s “influence will be reduced” “in the long term.”
However, in China, trade and diplomatic relations have become stronger, and both countries are gaining profits, the former ambassador said.
“We’re very focused on China, and that’s what we think,” he said.
Washington accused Malaysia of attacking it with a 24% trade tariff and imposing a 47% tariff on US imports.
Trump recently brought a 90-day suspension on the highest US tariffs imposed on countries around the world. Instead, they face 10% tariffs on goods exported to the US. That excludes China, which is subject to a 145% tax on its products.
“American Bypass”
In Xi Chiang, he will be staying in Kuala Lumpur for three days, during which time he will meet with King Malaysian Prime Minister Sultan Ibniizkander and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and will attend a state banquet before heading to Cambodia on Thursday.
During his previous visit to Vietnam, Xi Chiang urged Hanoi and China to “collaborate hegemonism, unilateral protection and protectionism” and called for “a more open, inclusive, balanced and economic globalization that is beneficial to all.”
Trump was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that China and Vietnam are saying, “How will they screw the United States of America?”
XI’s visit to Malaysia is an effort to “strengthen” the view that China “can offer to bypass the United States.”
There is also the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Free Trade Agreement (probably the world’s largest free trade agreement), all 10 ASEAN countries are members, along with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
“Essentially, this is all built to build a new international order. Trump has given China an excuse to push it stronger among countries around the world, especially developing countries,” Chin said.
“One of them [the Chinese] What you’re trying to do is set up a bilateral trading system that allows you to stop using the US dollar. Countries that trade with China can exchange currency [where] You pay in your own currency, [Chinese] Renminbi,” he added.
China and “Make Money”
Of the three countries XI chose to visit this week, analysts said Malaysia is considered the most important to China given its population of 32 million, its developing high-tech foundation and the current chairman of ASEAN. China has also been Malaysia’s largest trading partner since 2009, with trade between China and Malaysia reaching $212 billion in 2024.
“China hopes to jackle trade with Malaysia to compensate for the expected downgrade of exports to the US,” said Willie Wol-Rup Lamb, author of the US-based Jamestown Foundation and author of the book, from Confucius to Xi Jinping.
“Politically, Malaysia has a lot of influence among all 10 ASEAN states,” Lamb said. “Inclusion of countries in the South China Sea that have territorial disputes with China must respond to strengthening its aggressive tactics in Beijing.”
Alfred Muluang Wu, an associate professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, agreed that Beijing also considers Malaysia to be within the traditional regional influence.
This includes economically in terms of Chinese investment and “China and one” strategy. This includes Chinese companies diversifying their manufacturing bases and supply chains and establishing plants outside of China.
Beijing sees the establishment of companies in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries as a way to “spread” China’s influence, Wu said.
Ei Sun Oh, principal advisor at the think tank Malaysia’s Center for Pacific Studies, believes Xi’s visit is to encourage Kuala Lumpur to look more at Beijing and to “not overtaking the US side.”
“Geopolitical, Malaysia may still toy with the idea of fleeing to China to escape with China.
But more fundamentally, Malaysia is more interested in doing good business and “hopes to get more investment from China and gain greater market access to China.”
Former Malaysian ambassador Abdul Aziz agreed.
“If we’re approaching China, that’s because we’re going to make money,” he said.
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