Rising China - challenge or opportunity? (Part 2)

James Wong Wing On talks to the secretary of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association, Tan Kai Hee.


Question: 31 May this year will be the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. What is the significance of the relations?

Tan: Malaysia-China relations have reached a peak this year. The two countries cooperate now very closely in international and regional politics. Malaysia and China also support each other on certain issues raised in international forum. For example, on regional peace, Malaysia and China share the view that states in the region must manage their own affairs well and protect their respective national sovereignties without allowing other states to make arrangements for us. Otherwise, we would probably be dragged into troubles elsewhere in the world.

In other words, there are constant communication and frequent contacts between Malaysia and China. So, there are essentially not many differences between the two countries on many international and regional issues. In fact, the relations between Malaysia and China seem to be closer than those between Malaysia and other members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

Actually, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is going to visit China again at the end of this month was also there last September, although he was the deputy prime minister then. These frequent communication and contacts serve to refresh friendship and build consensus on various national, regional and international issues so that the two countries can assist and support each other.

Also, as far as economic issues are concerned, the relations between Malaysia and China are also at a peak. For two consecutive years now, Malaysia has been the largest Asean bilateral trading partner of China. In this aspect, Malaysia has overtaken Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

So, we see that better bilateral diplomatic relations enhance economic and business opportunities bilaterally, despite the differences between the political systems of Malaysia and China. For example, while the polity of China is based on atheism but Malaysia is built on theism.

The relationships can serve as a model for other Asian countries in that political and ideological differences can be set aside for co-operation from different perspectives. Hopefully, Malaysia-China relations would be emulated by other Muslim countries. China has, of course, been in good relations with European countries.

In the past, I could never have imagined that Malaysia and China could develop our relations to such an extent.

All these are possible for China because it has reformed its economic system, although its political system has yet to be changed. But I believe that with economic reforms, politics will definitely change in China. Political system is but a superstructure existing on economic foundation.

The current economic system in China, called market economy with the characteristics of Chinese socialism, is actually a mixture of socialism and capitalism.

In a way, as China has been changing, Malaysia also changes. Malaysia' s capitalism has been injected with certain socialist elements. For example, the twin objectives of Malaysia's New Economic Policy, namely eradication of poverty and redistribution of wealth, carry socialist features. Both countries make constant domestic adjustments.

The economic systems in Malaysia and China are in fact syntheses born out of the clashes of antitheses. They could become the future model for the entire world.

These are the reasons why we should celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Malaysia-China relations on a mass scale.

A: You are right. At that time, Malaysia had its historical baggage and China was also trying to find a way out of its historical mess. China's real changes came about in the 1980s when reforms and opening up were first implemented. But I must also point out that even before China had changed, Tun Abdul Razak had already strived to establish diplomatic relations with China. That was an extraordinary time. The reasons?

I say that had Malaysia continued to blindly follow the West at that time, it would certainly be isolated by countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Also, Malaysia would not be able to adjust itself in this eastern part of the world.

Western countries, especially the United States, had shown that they are inherently aggressive. In 1974, the United States faced tremendous pressures because of its military involvement in Vietnam and the Vietnamese communists were gaining strengths and victories uninterruptedly. There was the fear of the Domino Theory. Under that situation, Malaysia must find our own way out.

Also, by then China had already risen up as a giant military, political and economic system. We could not possibly neglect the reality that a giant is living very nearby. We had to make a decision whether to befriend or antagonize the giant neighbour. Since even the United States could not save the South Vietnamese regime, who could then protect Malaysia? Looking for friends and avoiding enemies were one of the main considerations. This is called survival instinct.

China has also shown that, historically, it has no ambition for aggression against other countries. In the Korean War, the Chinese People's Liberation Army withdrew back into China's territory after it struck at the US-led forces. Similarly, PLA withdrew after striking at the Indian and Russian armies in the 1960s.

Not least important was the attempt to solve the problem of the insurgency mounted by the Communist Party of Malaya in the Malaysia-Thai border. Malaysia had decided to tackle the source which was China.

Moreover, at that time, Malaysia also wanted to gain greater independence from the Cold War which was, in Asia, characterized by the strategic containment of China by the US-led Western forces. Befriending China was seen to be one such strategy. Indeed, even though Malaya gained political independence in 1957, our economy was still controlled by the British and other Western interests.

China also wanted to break out from the strategic containment by making more friends. So, when there was a major flood in Kuala Lumpur, China raised funds to help us. China also launched its table-tennis (ping pong) diplomacy.

Malaysia and China thus saw each other's needs at that time and began to approach each other. There were two channels of communication, namely the two governments diplomatic services in the United Nations and some Chinese Malaysian businessmen who engaged in export-import businesses between Malaysia and China.

So, after numerous governmental as well as non-governmental contacts in the early 1970s, the way was paved for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.

The reasons were multiple: economic, political, diplomatic as well as security.


[Part 3 to follow]