Early contact

Kunlun or Malay sailors were known in China by the third century BC, and there is evidence that had begun to settle along East African coast by the first century CE. By the time of Roman Empire, there were permanent communities of Malayo-Polynesian speaking people on the coast of Malagasy, where they remain to this day.^[10][11]

Chinese records from the fifth and sixth centuries AD note that products were shipped in kunlun vessels, apparently referring to maritime Southeast Asia vessels. By the seventh century, the term kunlun refer specifically to coastal people of the Malay region. By the ninth century, in Yiqiejing yingyi (815), Hui-Lin note that kunlun bo (Malay ship) were arriving regularly at Gulf of Tonkin and along south eastern Chinese coast.^[12] As religion was quite a thing in China, kunlun was needed to refer specifically to coastal people of the Malay region, as trade grew between both countries, stuff started happening.

Chinese dynasties relations with Malay Archipelago sultanates

Ming alliance with Malacca Sultanate

Main articles: Ming dynasty and Malacca Sultanate

A memorial rock for the disembarkation point of Admiral Zheng He in 1405 at Malacca City.

The Sultanate of Malacca voluntarily established political and economic ties with Ming dynasty China, which protected Malacca against its enemies with military force, allowing the Muslim Sultanate to prosper. The Ming dynasty had played role in Malacca's external affair with Siam and Majapahit from conquering Malacca. At the foundation of Malacca, the native peoples were the peoples with Hinduism and Buddhism influence. According to the annals record, at the time Parameswara founded Malacca, the country had been few times attacked by the empire of Majapahit and the rivals from northern area of Malacca, Ayutthaya Kingdom. Being a strategist at that time, the ruler of Malacca decided to send his ambassadors to visit the Emperor of China, one of the superpower of the period, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and both agreed to become allies. Ever since the agreement between Malacca Empire and Ming Empire, the Ayutthaya Kingdom and Majapahit Empire never intended to attack Malacca. Later some records suggested that during the trade activities and arrival of the Chinese-Muslim admiral Zheng He, Islam has already rooted in the Malay people at that time. Parameswara himself had converted to Islam earlier and adopted an Islamic name, Sultan Iskandar Shah. The new religion spread quickly throughout his conversion and due to the busy tradings and cultural exchanges with Arabs and Indians who were themselves Moslem.

The Zheng He monument today (seen from the backside), marking his stopover at the city of Malacca.

Ming dynasty China warned Siam and the Majapahit against trying to conquer and attack the Malacca sultanate, placing the Malacca Sultanate under Chinese protection as a protectorate, and recognized the sovereignty of the ruler of Malacca. The Chinese strengthened several warehouses in Malacca. The Muslim Sultanate flourished due to the Chinese protection against the Thai and other powers who wanted to attack Malacca, while keeping strategic political ties with other Moslem countries at that time. Siam was also a tributary to China and had to obey China's orders not to attack.^[13][14][15] After Vietnam (Annam) destroyed Champa in the 1471 Vietnamese invasion of Champa, they proceeded to engage in hostilities with Malacca with the intent of conquest. The Chinese government sent a censor, Ch'en Chun, to Champa in 1474 to install the Champa King, but he discovered Vietnamese (Annamese) soldiers had taken over Champa and were blocking his entry. He proceeded to Malacca instead and its ruler sent back tribute to China.^[16] Malacca again sent envoys to China in 1481 to inform the Chinese that, while Malaccan envoys were returning to Malacca from China in 1469, the Vietnamese attacked the Malaccans, killing some of them while castrating the young and enslaving them. The Malaccans reported that Vietnam was in control of Champa and also sought to conquer Malacca, but the Malaccans were holding tight and wait for the diplomatic signal because they did not want to fight against another state that was a tributary to China without permission from the Chinese. They requested to confront the Vietnamese delegation to China which was in China at the time, but the Chinese informed them since the incident was years old, they could do nothing about it, and the Emperor sent a letter to the Vietnamese ruler reproaching him for the incident. The Chinese Emperor also ordered the Malaccans to raise soldiers and fight back with violent force if the Vietnamese attacked them again.^[16][17]

After the Portuguese invaded and destroyed the Malacca sultanate at the Capture of Malacca (1511), it established the Portuguese Malacca colony. The Chinese reacted with extreme anger at the Portuguese invasion of its ally and refused to accept a Portuguese embassy after the attack.^[13][18] The Chinese Imperial Government imprisoned and executed multiple Portuguese envoys after torturing them in Guangzhou. The Malaccans had informed the Chinese of the Portuguese seizure of Malacca, to which the Chinese responded with hostility toward the Portuguese. The Malaccans told the Chinese of the deception the Portuguese used, disguising plans for conquering territory as mere trading activities, and told of all the atrocities committed by the Portuguese.^[19] Due to the Malaccan Sultan lodging a complaint against the Portuguese invasion to the Chinese Emperor, the Portuguese were greeted with hostility from the Chinese when they arrived in China.^[20] The Sultan's complaint caused "a great deal of trouble" to Portuguese in China.^[21] The Chinese were very "unwelcoming" to the Portuguese.^[21] The Malaccan Sultan, based in Bintan after fleeing Malacca, sent a message to the Chinese, which combined with Portuguese banditry and violent activity in China, led the Chinese authorities to execute 23 Portuguese and torture the rest of them in jails. After the Portuguese set up posts for trading in China and committed piratical activities and raids in China, the Chinese responded with the complete extermination of the Portuguese in Ningbo and Quanzhou.^[22]

The Chinese had sent a message to the deposed Sultan (King) of Malacca concerning the fate of the Portuguese embassy, which the Chinese held prisoner. When they received his reply, the Chinese officials then proceeded to execute the Portuguese embassy, slicing their bodies into multiple pieces.^[23] Chinese traders boycotted Malacca after it fell under Portuguese control, some Chinese in Java assisted in Muslim attempts to reconquer the city from Portugal using ships. The Java Chinese participation in retaking Malacca was recorded in "The Malay Annals of Semarang and Cerbon".^[24] trading the Chinese did business with Malays and Javanese instead of the Portuguese.^[25] However, with gradual improvement of relations and aid given against the Wokou pirates along China's shores, by 1557 Ming China finally agreed to allow the Portuguese to settle at Macau in a new Portuguese trade colony.^[26] The Malay Sultanate of Johor also improved relations with the Portuguese and fought alongside them against the Aceh Sultanate.

Relations with Bornean Sultanate

Main article: Bruneian Empire

A stone tortoise with a stele in memory of Ma-na-jih-chia-na in Nanjing.

As China had been under the conquest of Mongol Empire, all Chinese vassal state subsequently controlled by the Mongol emperors of China. Early in 1292, Kublai Khan is said to have sending an expedition to northern Borneo,^[27] before departing for the invasion of Java in 1293.^[28][29] As a result of this campaign, it is believed that many of his followers in addition to other Chinese traders eventually settled and established their own colony at Kinabatangan River.^[27] In the 14th century, Brunei became the vassal state of Majapahit but in 1370 transferred its allegiance to Ming dynasty of China.^[30] The Maharaja Karna of Borneo then paid a visit to Nanjing with his family until his death.^[31] He was succeeded by his son Hsia-wang who agreed to send tribute to China once every three years.^[30] Since then, Chinese junks came to northern Borneo with cargoes of spices, bird nests, shark fins, camphor, rattan and pearls.^[32] More Chinese traders eventually settled in Kinabatangan, as stated in both Brunei and Sulu records.^[30][33] A younger sister of Ong Sum Ping (Huang Senping), the Governor of the Chinese settlement then married Sultan Ahmad of Brunei.^[30][34] Perhaps due to this relationship, a burial place with 2,000 wooden coffins, some estimated to be 1,000 years old, were discovered in Agop Batu Tulug Caves in the Kinabatangan area.^[35] It is believed that this type of funeral culture was brought by traders from Mainland China and Indochina to northern Borneo as similar wooden coffins were also discovered in these countries.^[35] In addition with the discovery of Chinese ceramics from a shipwreck in Tanjung Simpang Mengayau which estimated to be from 960 to 1127 A.D. of Song dynasty and Vietnamese Đông Sơn drum in Bukit Timbang Dayang on Banggi Island that had existed between 2,000 and 2,500 years ago.^[36][37][38]

Peranakan Chinese

In old times the first group of Chinese people in Malaysia used to be held in high regard by Malays. Some old Malays in the past may have taken the word "Baba", referring to Chinese males, and put it into their name, when this used to be the case.^[39][40][41]

Cold War era

During the Cold War, Mao Zedong's foreign policy was to support revolutionary leftist organisations worldwide. They subsequently supported Chin Peng's Malayan Communist Party and its military wing, the Malayan National Liberation Army as well another Communist party in Borneo, the North Kalimantan Communist Party under Bong Kee Chok.^[42] Since most of the members and soldiers of MCP and NKCP were ethnic Chinese, the Malaysian government and other non-ethnic Chinese population viewed the ethnic Chinese population in Malaysia as 'fifth columns' and with distrust. But following the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese government support for Communist insurgencies worldwide gradually declined.^[43]

Diplomatic ties

Malaysian and Chinese officials meet together at the Strategic Consultation meetings which is held alternately between Malaysia and China every year. The Strategic Consultation meetings began as bilateral consultations in 1991.^[45] The consultation meetings were made to share and exchange views on various bilateral, regional and issues of mutual interest and also to follow up on matters discussed by the leaders of both countries. The bilateral consultations was later renamed as strategic consultation in 2010 to reflect the growing importance of Malaysia-China relations within the political-security framework of the Asia-Pacific region.^[45] The first one was held in Putrajaya in 2011 while the second was held in Beijing in 2012.^[45]

Bilateral exchange activities that have been done by Malaysia and China as of 2012 are the establishment of China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park in (the latter officially opened on 5 February 2013),^[46] and the speedy approval by China to loan a pair giant pandas for Malaysia. Both countries also exchange views on current developments happening in the South East Asia. Both countries are adhered to the letter Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the SEA (South East Asia) which continues the peace and stability that benefits China and the South East Asia region.^[45]

On 28 August 2012, Malaysia and China officials at the 2nd Strategic Consultation between Malaysia and China in Beijing agreed to make 2014 as "Malaysia-China Friendship Year" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.^[45] The Malaysian delegation led by the Malaysia's Foreign Ministry's secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and China's Vice-Foreign Minister Fu Ying also agreed that appropriate activities would be organised to celebrate the occasion.^[45]

On 16 April 2014, China planned to send two pairs of pandas named Fu Wa and Feng Yi to Malaysia to mark their 40-year anniversary of diplomatic ties, but were however postponed following the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 incident.^[47] The two pandas later arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 21 May 2014 and were placed at the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara).^[48][49]

Economic trade and relations

The Second Penang Bridge, partly built by China Harbour Engineering and completed in 2014, is currently Southeast Asia's longest bridge.

Malaysia was China's top trading partner within Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) until 2017, when they were overtaken by Vietnam.^[50][46] The two-way trade volume between China and Malaysia in 2013 reached $106 billion, making Malaysia China's third-largest trade partner in Asia, just behind Japan and South Korea and eighth largest overall.^[51] On 31 May 2014, during Najib Razak's visit to China where he was welcomed by China's Premier Li Keqiang, China and Malaysia pledged to increase bilateral trade to US$160 billion by 2017. They also agreed to upgrade economic and financial co-operation, especially in the production of halal food, water processing and railway construction.^[52] China's transformation into a major economic power in the 21st century has led to an increase of foreign investments in the bamboo network, a network of overseas Chinese businesses operating in the markets of Southeast Asia that share common family and cultural ties.^[53][54]

Countries which signed cooperation documents related to the Belt and Road Initiative

China subsequently emerged as the major investor in Malaysia, funding large infrastructure projects nationwide with a huge investment with the country become the platform for China firms' to enter ASEAN markets.^[55] There is also a Malaysia China Business Council.^[56] Following the widespread of Chinese economic influence in Malaysia, there is also a report of Mainland Chinese gangs has spread their illegal businesses into Malaysia.^[57] However, Kit Wei Zheng at Citi argued that since many of these projects led to significant overcapacity, he believed these projects were being solely motivated by Chinese geopolitical interests. For example, he believed this would make control of the Straits of Malacca vulnerable to China.^[58]

Malaysia has several Chinese Belt and Road Initiative projects under construction, including the East Coast Rail Line, Kuantan Port Expansion, Green Technology Park in Pahang, Forest City, Robotic Future City, and Samalaju Industrial Park Steel Complex. In September 2018, Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng cancelled two contracts, worth approximately $2.795 billion, with China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau for oil and gas pipelines.^[59] Work on the East Coast Rail Link was suspended in 2018, and has been partially restored in scope since.^[60]

South China Sea dispute

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that China was not a threat to anyone in the South China Sea dispute and was not worried about aggression from China, accusing the United States of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China.^[61] Mahathir believes Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China,^[62] although he has repeatedly slammed the Chinese investment in Malaysia for his fear over the large migration of new Chinese people to Malaysia.^[63][64]

In March 2013, Malaysian authorities were seen as displaying no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal.^[65] In August 2013, Malaysian minister suggested that it might work with China over their South China Sea claims and ignore the other claimants, with its Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies".^[66][67]

In June 2015, Malaysian authorities began to lodge a protest to China after a Chinese vessel was detected entering Malaysian territorial waters and found anchored at Luconia Shoals.^[68]

In June 2021, Malaysia summoned the Chinese envoy after a formation of Chinese military aircraft conducted operations near Sarawak, which Malaysia's foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein stated was a "breach of the Malaysian airspace and sovereignty". The Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur later stated the Chinese aircraft were operating in international airspace.^[69]

In October 2021, Malaysia summoned the Chinese Ambassador to protest the "presence and activities" of Chinese vessels in Malaysia's exclusive economic zone off the coasts of Sabah and Sarawak in contravention of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.^[70]