Malaysia being China-friendly is not same as pro-China, analyst says

The Manila Times

Malaysia being China-friendly is not same as pro-China, analyst says  Malaysia's engagement with China should not be interpreted as political alignment, an analyst says on April 17, 2025, emphasizing the country's commitment to a balanced foreign policy amid intensifying US-China rivalry. Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Malaysia as part of a three-nation Southeast Asian trip, including Vietnam and Cambodia.  "Being China-friendly is not necessarily the same as pro-China," said Angeline Tan, an analyst at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.  REUTERS VIDEO  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #malaysia #china

Transcript

00:00Well, not everything is about the U.S.

00:02In fact, China and Southeast Asia have long shared a deep and fruitful partnership.

00:07So I think this trip, for example, is a reflection of Beijing's efforts to strengthen its neighborhood diplomacy,

00:15which is something that has been important to China's foreign policy since the early 2000s.

00:30It might appear as if we are leaning towards China, but it does not necessarily mean that we are pro-China.

00:37Being China-friendly is not necessarily the same as pro-China.

00:41China's economic, political, cultural relationship with Malaysia is a fact.

00:47It's something that is organic and natural.

01:00The fact that it visibly seems as if there's so much contact also kind of refers back to last year's celebration of the 50th year anniversary.

01:12So naturally, you would have high-level dialogue between both sides, high-level visits.

01:22But I don't think it's a political alignment.

01:25I don't think it's a strategic alignment.

01:27And if we have more opportunities to engage with Washington at a very senior level as well,

01:33I think the Malaysian government would be very open to that.

01:36It's just that we have very limited opportunities.

01:43People seem to think that choosing a side will be an easy decision or an easy outcome for us.

01:50But choosing a side actually changes the status quo in the region and it spurs geopolitical tensions.

01:55So that's not actually going to be in Malaysia's interest and I don't think it would be in the interest of regional stability either.

02:02So I'll talk to you soon in the future.

02:08So

02:08I'll talk to you now.

02:11She'll talk to you soon.

02:12I'll be back.

02:13So

02:14We'll Named

02:30We'll Hades

02:30Bye.

02:31Bye.

02:32You

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