ABSTRACT
Since its launch in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become China’s most important and ambitious geopolitical and economic strategy in its engagement with the neighboring countries, and it has fundamentally (re)shaped its interactions with Southeast Asia. While there are numerous studies pertaining to the BRI, most of them approach the subject from a China-centric perspective and tend to depict a picture in which weak states are getting overwhelmed by China’s financial might, with its multiple-trillion-dollar investment in the BRI-related nations and regions. Disputing this mainstream interpretation, this chapter argues that the political elites in a relatively weak and small state such as Malaysia are adept in engaging with a rising China to advance key projects, furthering their own agenda. In the case of Malaysia, the eventual outcome of this interaction is dependent on three key conditions: fulfillment of Malaysia’s longstanding proethnic Malay policy, a mutual vision between the state and federal authorities, and advancement of geopolitical interests for both Malaysia and China. The chapter puts forward a typology illustrating various possible outcomes to examine the interconnections between key players at a time of Chinese ascendancy. Finally, this chapter documents the nation’s regime change after the 2018 General Election, the corresponding adjustments of Malaysia’s positions toward the BRI projects, and their wider implications.
