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In its fifth year， the Belt and Road Initiative has found many successful routes to Southeast Asia. Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） countries have welcomed and benefited from the initiative. In Indonesia， the Jakarta-Bandung Railway is under construction； in Thailand， the China-Thailand Railway is underway； in Laos， the China-Laos Railway is being built； in Myanmar， the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor is being pushed forward； in Viet Nam， the country agreed to synergize its development strategy with the China-proposed development initiative； and China and Brunei are jointly exploring oil and gas.
Despite some media hype about the setbacks with some Chinese-invested Belt and Road projects in Malaysia， all the above efforts are a testament to the initial concept of the Belt and Road， proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013， that China is willing and able to share its experience and gains with the rest of the world， for the benefit of all. And although there may be twists and turns that emerge concerning Belt and Road projects in Malaysia， the initiative’s idea of promoting regional integration and common development are widely welcomed in the country.
Malaysian gateway
Malaysia is an important strategic partner for China as a hub that connects the Indo-China Peninsula with maritime Southeast Asia. In 2013， the two nations upgraded their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and have subsequently pushed forward a number of large-scale economic and social cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.
However， when Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was reelected as Malaysia’s prime minister last year， questions and worries about the initiative hurting SinoMalaysian relations or facing difficulties in Malaysia emerged. In reality， the Belt and Road promotes， rather than damages， the relationship between China and Malaysia， and is a win-win channel to connecting China and all ASEAN countries.
Before China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative， Malaysia was China’s major trading partner in ASEAN. Since 2013， the Malaysian Government under the Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak administration broadly supported bilateral cooperation under the framework of the initiative and Malaysia became a model for Chinese overseas economic cooperation.
Having served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003， Mahathir was reelected Malaysia’s prime minister last May. In the aftermath of the election， some media reports concentrated on SinoMalaysian relations as Mahathir canceled or postponed some Chinese investment projects in his country. The ASEAN country immediately attracted the world’s attention. However， Mahathir has never changed his friendly policy toward China， he strongly supports the Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to maintain good bilateral relations with China. “As far as the Belt and Road is concerned， we have no problem with it，”Mahathir told the media in response to a question on the Belt and Road Initiative after the election. In August 2018， during his visit to China， Mahathir said his administration will improve the efficiency of administrative approvals and introduce preferential policies for Chinese enterprises that want to expand their presence in Malaysia.
In addition to Mahathir， other Malaysian government officials also attach great importance to the initiative and are in consensus with China. For example， the Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said， “Malaysia has a lot to gain from the Belt and Road Initiative， which will help bridge the infrastructure and connectivity gap between Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. The initiative should not become a win for just one country， but instead a success for all， just as President Xi has said， the project is a road to peace.” Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Ong Kian Ming explained that Malaysia has no intention of abandoning the China-proposed initiative and will continue to forge a closer relationship with the world’s second largest economy.
Stronger Sino-Malaysian ties
The initiative plays an important role in promoting Malaysian economic development and enhancing bilateral cooperation in such fi elds as policy coordination， economy and infrastructure building， finance and people-to-people exchanges.
In policy coordination， leaders and senior officials from China and Malaysia have conducted frequent visits and discussions since Malaysia’s new government took offi ce， including trips to Beijing by the prime minister， the ruling People’s Justice Party leader Anwar Ibrahim and Chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons Tun Daim Zainuddin. On the Chinese side， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Malaysia in 2018. In the past year and a half， the two sides have held discussions on how to improve bilateral relations， restart the East Coast Rail Link （ECRL） project and strengthen cooperation in e-commerce， artificial intelligence and the Internet economy.
In economic terms， trade between China and Malaysia， which has been boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative， has increased considerably in the past few years. In 2013 and 2014， Malaysia was China’s top trading partner among ASEAN countries and the third country with trade volume surpassing $100 billion with China in Asia behind Japan and the Republic of Korea. Since then， bilateral trade has remained at about $100 billion. At the same time， more Chinese capital entered Malaysia， leading foreign investment in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector. From 2013 to 2018， a large number of model projects emerged in both countries such as the Kuantan Industrial Park in Malaysia and the Qin Zhou Industrial Park in China. In the financial sector， the two countries renewed their currency swap agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding on cross-border accounting and auditing enforcement cooperation. In addition， under the Belt and Road framework， people-to-people bonds were further enhanced including the promotion of extensive cultural and academic exchanges， personnel exchanges and cooperation， media cooperation， youth and women exchanges and volunteer services. In the tourist sector， more than 2.2 million Chinese people visited Malaysia in 2017， ranking number one for six consecutive years. In the educational fi eld， the number of students in China who speak Malay and study Malay culture and literature are on the rise in recent years. Moreover， since the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative， Malaysian study centers or institutes have sprung up in Chinese universities and research institutions. Meanwhile， more and more students from Malaysia， either Malays or Malaysian Chinese， are coming to China for further study.
Southeast Asian benefits
The Belt and Road projects in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian nations have encountered difficulties， but not from Southeast Asian governments， China or the so-called “debt trap.” Instead， the problem is caused by some Western media， which are inclined to hype up or exaggerate Chinese investment in Southeast Asia and hope to see worsening relations between China and Southeast Asian nations.
Actually， if Malaysia saw Chinese invest- ment as a “debt trap，” Mahathir wouldn’t have declared publicly in a recent speech that he prefers China in terms of money or economic cooperation as opposed to the United States. The Malaysian prime minister also announced his attendance at the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in late April.
China and ASEAN countries hold a similar perceptive that peace， stability and development rather than confl icts and contradictions are in the common interests of all regional countries. This has become the foundation for Chinese and ASEAN countries’sustainable cooperation over the last decades in spite of disturbance from Western countries. It is also a driving force for China and ASEAN countries to work together on Belt and Road projects. In a word， development bonds China and ASEAN countries， and the Belt and Road Initiative links them together for a win-win solution.
Despite some media hype about the setbacks with some Chinese-invested Belt and Road projects in Malaysia， all the above efforts are a testament to the initial concept of the Belt and Road， proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013， that China is willing and able to share its experience and gains with the rest of the world， for the benefit of all. And although there may be twists and turns that emerge concerning Belt and Road projects in Malaysia， the initiative’s idea of promoting regional integration and common development are widely welcomed in the country.
Malaysian gateway
Malaysia is an important strategic partner for China as a hub that connects the Indo-China Peninsula with maritime Southeast Asia. In 2013， the two nations upgraded their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and have subsequently pushed forward a number of large-scale economic and social cooperation projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.
However， when Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was reelected as Malaysia’s prime minister last year， questions and worries about the initiative hurting SinoMalaysian relations or facing difficulties in Malaysia emerged. In reality， the Belt and Road promotes， rather than damages， the relationship between China and Malaysia， and is a win-win channel to connecting China and all ASEAN countries.
Before China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative， Malaysia was China’s major trading partner in ASEAN. Since 2013， the Malaysian Government under the Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak administration broadly supported bilateral cooperation under the framework of the initiative and Malaysia became a model for Chinese overseas economic cooperation.
Having served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003， Mahathir was reelected Malaysia’s prime minister last May. In the aftermath of the election， some media reports concentrated on SinoMalaysian relations as Mahathir canceled or postponed some Chinese investment projects in his country. The ASEAN country immediately attracted the world’s attention. However， Mahathir has never changed his friendly policy toward China， he strongly supports the Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to maintain good bilateral relations with China. “As far as the Belt and Road is concerned， we have no problem with it，”Mahathir told the media in response to a question on the Belt and Road Initiative after the election. In August 2018， during his visit to China， Mahathir said his administration will improve the efficiency of administrative approvals and introduce preferential policies for Chinese enterprises that want to expand their presence in Malaysia.
In addition to Mahathir， other Malaysian government officials also attach great importance to the initiative and are in consensus with China. For example， the Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said， “Malaysia has a lot to gain from the Belt and Road Initiative， which will help bridge the infrastructure and connectivity gap between Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. The initiative should not become a win for just one country， but instead a success for all， just as President Xi has said， the project is a road to peace.” Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Ong Kian Ming explained that Malaysia has no intention of abandoning the China-proposed initiative and will continue to forge a closer relationship with the world’s second largest economy.
Stronger Sino-Malaysian ties
The initiative plays an important role in promoting Malaysian economic development and enhancing bilateral cooperation in such fi elds as policy coordination， economy and infrastructure building， finance and people-to-people exchanges.
In policy coordination， leaders and senior officials from China and Malaysia have conducted frequent visits and discussions since Malaysia’s new government took offi ce， including trips to Beijing by the prime minister， the ruling People’s Justice Party leader Anwar Ibrahim and Chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons Tun Daim Zainuddin. On the Chinese side， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Malaysia in 2018. In the past year and a half， the two sides have held discussions on how to improve bilateral relations， restart the East Coast Rail Link （ECRL） project and strengthen cooperation in e-commerce， artificial intelligence and the Internet economy.
In economic terms， trade between China and Malaysia， which has been boosted by the Belt and Road Initiative， has increased considerably in the past few years. In 2013 and 2014， Malaysia was China’s top trading partner among ASEAN countries and the third country with trade volume surpassing $100 billion with China in Asia behind Japan and the Republic of Korea. Since then， bilateral trade has remained at about $100 billion. At the same time， more Chinese capital entered Malaysia， leading foreign investment in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector. From 2013 to 2018， a large number of model projects emerged in both countries such as the Kuantan Industrial Park in Malaysia and the Qin Zhou Industrial Park in China. In the financial sector， the two countries renewed their currency swap agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding on cross-border accounting and auditing enforcement cooperation. In addition， under the Belt and Road framework， people-to-people bonds were further enhanced including the promotion of extensive cultural and academic exchanges， personnel exchanges and cooperation， media cooperation， youth and women exchanges and volunteer services. In the tourist sector， more than 2.2 million Chinese people visited Malaysia in 2017， ranking number one for six consecutive years. In the educational fi eld， the number of students in China who speak Malay and study Malay culture and literature are on the rise in recent years. Moreover， since the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative， Malaysian study centers or institutes have sprung up in Chinese universities and research institutions. Meanwhile， more and more students from Malaysia， either Malays or Malaysian Chinese， are coming to China for further study.
Southeast Asian benefits
The Belt and Road projects in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian nations have encountered difficulties， but not from Southeast Asian governments， China or the so-called “debt trap.” Instead， the problem is caused by some Western media， which are inclined to hype up or exaggerate Chinese investment in Southeast Asia and hope to see worsening relations between China and Southeast Asian nations.
Actually， if Malaysia saw Chinese invest- ment as a “debt trap，” Mahathir wouldn’t have declared publicly in a recent speech that he prefers China in terms of money or economic cooperation as opposed to the United States. The Malaysian prime minister also announced his attendance at the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in late April.
China and ASEAN countries hold a similar perceptive that peace， stability and development rather than confl icts and contradictions are in the common interests of all regional countries. This has become the foundation for Chinese and ASEAN countries’sustainable cooperation over the last decades in spite of disturbance from Western countries. It is also a driving force for China and ASEAN countries to work together on Belt and Road projects. In a word， development bonds China and ASEAN countries， and the Belt and Road Initiative links them together for a win-win solution.