CHINESE Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Kuala Lumpur today comes at an interesting time.
Among matters on the agenda for his meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein would be China’s offer of the vaccine to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are also problems arising from China’s claim to 80% of the South China Sea as indicated in the “Nine-Dash Line”, the demarcation of the boundary as announced by China over the sea.
All of the Malaysian claims of the atolls in the Spratly Islands fall within the territories that are claimed by China even though they are within Malaysia’s 200km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
It should be noted that Malaysia does not recognise the nine-dash line and strongly supports the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Given Malaysia’s strong economic ties with China, it is likely that Hishamuddin will tread softly in raising the contentious issue of the presence of Chinese vessels in Malaysian waters.
With regards to the Covid-19 vaccines, Malaysia would definitely seek a commitment from China to supply the vaccines as soon as possible.
Chinese companies are also involved in major infrastructure projects in Malaysia which includes railways and ports.
The Kuantan Port in Pahang is partially owned by a Chinese company. Together with the 640km East Coast Rail Link, another project driven by a major Chinese contractor, it could ostensibly be part of the greater global undertaking of the much-touted global Chinese “Belt and Road” venture.
In a 2019 Malaysia-China Outlook Forum, the then Chinese Ambassador Bai Tian stated that Chinese investment in Malaysia grew four-fold in 5 years.
That is massive growth by any standard, with 422 projects in the manufacturing sector coupled with the creation of 73,000 jobs.
Obviously, Malaysia is very much on the radar of China’s economic, strategic, and geopolitical engagement in the region.
It is said that history repeats itself. It was Melaka which first appeared in the records of Ming China in 1403 and the 15th century witnessed visits of the Melaka rulers to pay homage to the Ming Emperor and as a vassal state received protection from Siamese adventurism against the nascent sultanate of Melaka.
The famous Ming voyages to Melaka and beyond under Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He) was another feature of the early relationship between imperial Ming China and the Malay Peninsula.
Without a doubt, one can safely predict that Chinese investments in Malaysia will continue to grow and the bonds between the two countries further strengthened. - The Vibes, October 13, 2020
Bhaskaran Pillai is an “old putera” of the Royal Military College and a CEO in Petra Group
