BRICS can balance world order, Malaysia says

Southeast Asian nation has achieved remarkable results through friendship

The BRICS grouping, which has emerged as a strong and principled force, represents an opportunity to shape a more balanced and just international order, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Legacy international organizations need to be reformed to reflect the changing global realities and to take into account the aspirations of developing nations, the prime minister said in a statement.

The Malaysian premier, who was attending the 17th BRICS Summit hosted by Brazil, added that the grouping must strengthen its economic cooperation both among member states and with other regional groupings such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"BRICS and ASEAN members must also continue to strengthen strategic cooperation, including enhancing cross-regional trade and investment for the mutual benefit of developing nations," he said.

Malaysia's inclusion among the ranks of BRICS partners in January will fortify its time-tested friendship with China, said Koh King Kee, president of the Center for New Inclusive Asia, a Malaysian think tank.

The move will also enable Malaysia and the ASEAN to play a more pivotal role in South-South cooperation and the global political and economic arenas, he noted.

Malaysia holds a distinguished position in China's diplomatic history — it was one of the first ASEAN countries to establish diplomatic relations with China and forge a comprehensive strategic partnership.

This relationship, spanning over half a century, was commemorated with grand celebrations in 2024.The bond between the two nations has been strengthened through addressing shared challenges, including joint responses to natural disasters like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, as well as solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ouyang Yujing, the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, highlighted the remarkable achievements in bilateral cooperation across various sectors in recent years. A testament to this close relationship is a Malaysian public opinion survey revealing that 77 percent of the population have positive sentiments toward China, reflecting mutual respect and understanding, and laying a solid foundation for future cooperation.

China pledges firm support for Malaysia as this year's rotating chair of ASEAN, and remains committed to walking side by side with ASEAN to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, Ouyang said. Also, the leaders of both countries have backed each other on issues involving core interests and major concerns, advancing the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

Burgeoning ties

As a pillar of China-Malaysia relations, the burgeoning economic and trade ties have become a driving force behind the shared progress of the two countries, experts said.

China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, while Malaysia is China's second-largest trading partner and largest source of imports in ASEAN.

According to Chinese customs data, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia reached $212.04 billion in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 11.4 percent, hitting a record high. Compared with the trade volume of less than $200 million when diplomatic relations were established in 1974, it has grown more than 1,000 times over the decades.

Malaysian products such as durian, palm oil, and rubber are popular in the Chinese market, which has promoted the development of related industries in both countries. At the same time, Malaysia is an important destination for China's direct investment. Chinese new energy vehicle enterprises represented by Geely and Chery have invested and set up factories in Malaysia.

The cooperation between the two sides in the field of new quality productive forces is developing rapidly, promoting the in-depth integration of industry chains and supply chains.

Du Lan, deputy director of the Asia-Pacific studies department of China Institute of International Studies, said that Malaysia has a favorable geographical location, improved infrastructure, stable social environment, sound legal system, and is friendly to foreign investment with a series of convenient policies including tax reduction.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian government has created a high-quality business environment for foreign-funded projects through a stable political situation and sufficient electricity and transportation.

Across sectors

In April, China and Malaysia exchanged more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents, covering various cutting-edge and traditional fields such as the digital economy, service trade, joint laboratories, and artificial intelligence.

"The digital economy in Southeast Asia boasts broad prospects. Malaysia, with its large population of young internet users and relatively well-developed network infrastructure, provides fertile ground for the vigorous development of the digital economy, which in turn has spawned huge market demand.

"In response, the Malaysian government has actively made strategic arrangements and rolled out a series of national strategies to boost the development of the digital economy," Du said.

She stated that this creates an excellent opportunity for in-depth cooperation between China and Malaysia in this sector and opens up new growth areas for future collaboration in sectors like e-commerce and digital infrastructure construction.

It is worth noting that Malaysia has clearly expressed its hope to accelerate the construction of its national 5G network by leveraging China's technologies and experience, and to work together to push the digital economy to a higher level.

Moreover, Malaysia's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative has enhanced China-Malaysia cooperation. Under this framework, cooperation is advancing steadily. For example, the Malaysia East Coast Rail Link is connecting the east and west coasts of Malaysia and driving economic development along the route.

Beyond this flagship project, China has also assisted Malaysia in building key infrastructure including highways, bridges and ports. These projects have not only consolidated the transportation network but provided support and sustained impetus for the high-quality development of Malaysia's economy.

From traditional trade to emerging sectors, China-Malaysia cooperation continues to deepen. With Malaysia joining the BRICS partners, the future shows promise for expanded win-win cooperation between the two countries.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn