Malaysia Keeps Its Options Open

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged to take his country's relationship with China to new heights during a visit to Beijing two weeks ago. The trip won him plenty of Chinese largesse — Najib signed an estimated $34 billion in investment and infrastructure deals while in China. He also agreed to buy at least four Chinese-made naval vessels, his country's first major arms purchase from China, and, according to a Chinese diplomat, to address competing claims in the South China Sea through bilateral dialogue, Beijing's preferred method of dispute resolution. While in China, the Malaysian prime minister took the opportunity to excoriate the United States over its perceived meddling in his country's internal affairs. As a result, the trip drew the attention of Western security partners concerned about Beijing's efforts to pull Southeast Asian states into its orbit. 

As with some of its neighbors, internal political issues are accelerating Malaysia's embrace of Beijing, but bigger issues are also at play. Ultimately, the visit should be viewed as Malaysia adapting its long-standing regional strategy to accommodate China's growing clout amid deepening uncertainty over the direction of U.S. policy in the Western Pacific. This reflects an emerging paradigm regarding Southeast Asia and China, though it doesn’t yet portend a substantial tilt away from the West.