China and Malaysia Sign a Flurry of Accords

During his state visit in Malaysia from 15 to 16 April 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the signing of a flurry of accords. Xi arrived from Hanoi and will leave for Phnom Penh on his 3-nation ASEAN tour.

The visit comes right in the middle of a tit-for-tat tariff war that the US and China are currently waging against each other. Both US and China are trying to attract nations into their orbit. The message from Beijing is clear: “China is a more predictable, stable and reliable partner than the US.”

The list of MoUs is as follows:

1. Global Security Initiative (#GSI)
2. Global Civilization Initiative (#GDI)
3. Cooperation between China International Development Cooperation Agency and Malaysia Foreign Affairs Ministry
4. Mutual visa exemption for ordinary and official passports
5. Establishment of a joint bilateral dialogue on foreign affairs and defense
6. Cooperation in Trade in Services
7. Cooperation on “Two Countries, Two Parks”
8. Cooperation between State Administration for Market Regulation of China and Department of Standards of Malaysia
9. Cooperation in railway sector between China’s National Railway Administration and Malaysia’s Transport Ministry
10. Phytosanitary protocol between China’s General Administration of Customs and Malaysia’s Agriculture and Food Security Ministry for export of Malaysian coconuts to China
11. Joint setting up of laboratories in emerging technologies
12. Application of #BeiDou Satellite Navigation System
13. Collaboration on giant panda conservation
14. Establishment of joint #AI lab between Peking University and University of Malaya
15. Promotion of discourse on Confucianism and Islam
16. Tourism and Media cooperation between Xinhua News Agency and Malaysia’s Tourism Promotion Board
17. Tourism and Media cooperation between China Media Group and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board
18. News cooperation between Xinhua News Agency and the Government of Malaysia
19. News cooperation between China Media Group and the Government of Malaysia
20. Supplementary agreement between China Media Group and Malaysia’s National News Agency (Bernama)
21. Cooperation between China’s People’s Daily Newspaper and Malaysia’s Star Media Group
22. Exchange between Xinhua News Agency and Malaysia’s Center for Regional Strategic Studies (CROSS)
23. Cooperation between China Media Group and Malaysia-China Friendship Associaton
24. Cooperation under the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia
25. Film co-production between China Media Group and National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia
26. Translation and publishing of classical works in Chinese and Malay
27. Partnership in #AI between China’s National Development & Reform Commission and Malaysia’s Digital Ministry
28. Partnership on #DigitalEconomy between China’s National Development & Reform Commission and Malaysia’s Digital Ministry
29. Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights (#IPR)
30. Establishment of China-Malaysia International Higher Education Institute between Xiamen University and University of Malaya
31. Letter of Intent from Malaysia Digital Economy Cooperation to Zhejiang University on #DigitalTransformation, #SmartCities and #AI

Malaysia has a population of 32 million and the China-Malaysia bilateral trade reached USD 212 billion in 2024. Malaysia also holds the chairmanship of ASEAN during 2025.

During the state banquet, PM Anwar Ibrahim quoted from The Analects of Confucius that ‘everyone are brothers’. President Xi reciprocated with a Malay saying by describing the China-Malaysia relation as ‘stone by stone, maketh a mountain.’ Malaysia is one of the preferred delocalization destinations for Chinese industry as part of the “China+1” strategy for manufacturers to extend presence overseas in another county. Under pressure from the USA, China is seeking to ease the stress by expanding trade with #ASEAN.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, Malaysia believes it can do more business by partnering with China than with the USA. However, the high reciprocal tariffs might put a dent in the expansion of Chinese manufacturers in Malaysia. Previously, a high tariff on #PV, made in Malaysia by Chinese firms, basically killed exports to the USA.