Trump Chaos Could Push Malaysia to Embrace Xi on Rare Visit

Economic pragmatism may decide how Chinese leader's visit goes.

- Shannon Teoh

Whether by design or coincidence, Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to Malaysia in a dozen years couldn't have been better timed.

Less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump unleashed tariffs on the rest of the world, Mr Xi's arrival on April 15—originally billed as a goodwill trip—may now mark a decisive shift in Kuala Lumpur's long-held policy of geopolitical non-alignment.

Ironically, what the US hailed as "Liberation Day" may end up giving Malaysia, which also holds the Asean chair for 2025, the latitude to draw closer to Beijing under the banner of economic security.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CHINA

"The US is forcing us to lather ourselves up with perfume and lingerie in China's bedroom," said one Foreign Ministry policy adviser, encapsulating the uncomfortable yet pragmatic calculus now confronting Malaysia's foreign policy elite.

Officials say Kuala Lumpur is hopeful that the visit will help pave the way for deeper economic engagement with China to cushion the blow from Mr Trump's trade war, even if it means "compromising our strategic centrality, because disrupting 40 per cent of our economy is an assault on our sovereignty".

The main concern, however, remains whether China can allay fears of overproduction swamping regional markets—undercutting local industries and jeopardizing jobs.

Any reassurance from Mr Xi will be key.

"During the Asian financial crisis in 1998, then Premier Zhu Rongji kept his vow not to devalue their currency and helped Asean stabilize. It marked a turning point in the trust between the region and Beijing," a high-ranking source in the Malaysian government said.

Since then, China-Malaysia economic ties have grown steadily. China has been Malaysia's top trade partner since 2009, and is unlikely to relinquish that position soon—especially now, with US tariffs in effect.