Ngeow Chow Bing, the deputy director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, says Sino-Malaysia relations can no longer be insulated from domestic politics in Malaysia.
Noting that in past elections, the country’s foreign relations were not a major campaign issue, he says whenever the ‘‘China card’’ was played previously, it was always a ‘‘positive China card’’ – used by the ruling Barisan Nasional to draw support from ethnic Chinese voters.
This time, Ngeow says in an article carried on Today Online, things may be different.
“In the upcoming election there is a good chance that the ‘China card’ may be played negatively for the first time, especially by opposition parties such as PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), which seek to arouse dissatisfaction among rural Malay voters.”
Recent Chinese investments in Malaysia, he notes, have been portrayed by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s opponents as facilitating the political survival of Najib and the ruling regime.
Najib’s critics are even using the prime minister’s ability to draw RM144 billion in investments during his 2016 visit to China against him.
Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, leaders of the PPBM, have been vocal in criticising China’s investments, saying these would not benefit the people but would only benefit Najib and his government.
“These are signs that Sino–Malaysia relations can no longer be insulated from domestic politics in Malaysia,” says the academician.
“China also faces a dilemma. When Mr Najib approached China for more investment, China saw this as a good opportunity to cement a relationship with a key Southeast Asian country.
“But China is also being criticised for investing too much into the relationship with Mr Najib and his allies, to the extent that the Sino–Malaysia relationship now seems to be based on, and driven by, Mr Najib’s personal agenda.”
He says there is a “real risk” that Chinese investment projects could be suspended or delayed if the opposition were to win.
“To avoid this, China cannot simply dismiss concerns pointed out by critics of its investments and must be transparent in its economic dealings with Malaysia,” he adds.
Ngeow also traces the ways in which relations between the two nations have improved under Najib’s administration, to the extent that China trusts Malaysia enough to dock one of its submarines briefly at the port of Kota Kinabalu during the first week of this year.
Malaysia is also buying four littoral mission ships from China, the first significant military procurement of its kind between the two countries.