The Impact of Trump's Administration on Malaysian Foreign Policy

This essay delves into the historical and contemporary relationship between Malaysia and the United States, focusing on the impact of Donald Trump's administration on Malaysian foreign policy. It traces the evolution of bilateral ties from the 19th century to the present, highlighting key events such as the Vietnam War, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the influence of various Malaysian leaders, including Tunku Abdul Rahman and Najib Razak. The essay examines the economic dimensions of the relationship, including trade imbalances and the impact of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. It analyzes how Trump's policies, particularly his stance on Islam and the withdrawal from the TPP, have affected Malaysia's foreign policy and public sentiment. The essay references various sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of the changing dynamics between the two nations, particularly during the Obama and Trump eras.

Running head: MALAYSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ON TRUMPS'S ADMINISTRATION
MALAYSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ON TRUMPS'S ADMINISTRATION
Name of the Student
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MALAYSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ON TRUMPS'S ADMINISTRATION
The Malaysia-United States relations date back to as early as the 19th century when
merchants from the U.S. traded at various ports of Malaysia. Nonetheless, after the attainment of
independence by Malaysia in 1957, the relationship grew beyond just being a small-scale
commerce. At present, the U.S. and Malaysia share bilateral ties1. The United States recognized
the Malaya Federation in 1957 after the country achieved independence from the British Empire.
John foster Dulles, the then Secretary of State recognized the Malaysian Independence by
sending an official letter to the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Prior to
Malaysia’s independence, the U.S. had already established a consular post in that country in the
year 1948 at Kuala Lampur. Later, in the year 1964, the U.S. established another post at
Kuching. The U.S. ambassadors, who were responsible to the Federation of Malaya until 1963,
were later accredited to the federation of Malaysia when Singapore, Borneo and Sarawak joined
Malaya in 1963. The U.S. has been a significant player in helping Malaysia become an
economically stable nation by supporting the planting of oil palm in the 1960s and contributing
in the electronics industry in the 1970s. The later years characterized by the Vietnam War
(1970s), the conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia (1990s), the financial crisis and the September 11
incident (2000s) until the later decades of 2000s saw the Malaysia-U.S ties weaken as well as
strengthen over time.
The two nations of Malaysia and United States hold strong bilateral ties encouraging
cooperation. A strong associate of the U.S. in many areas of security and economic initiatives,
Malaysia has restrained itself from establishing a high profile relationship because of its Muslim
identity. Nevertheless, the visit of former U.S. President, Barack Obama in 2014 demonstrated
1 Usembassy.gov, 'History Of The U.S. And Malaysia | U.S. Embassy In Malaysia' (U.S. Embassy in Malaysia,
2018) <https://my.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/io/> accessed 16 May 2018.

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the effort from both the countries to cooperate with each other on wide ranging issues2. In order
to understand the reasons behind keeping the relationship between the two countries, it is
important to understand the history more elaborately. This would provide a clear view of the
motive behind the U.S. to deal with Malaysia and Malaysia’s needs to tie up with the U.S. during
the Vietnam War that spanned across the 50s and the 70s era, the U.S. needed Malaysian
assistance in helping its soldiers rest and prepare further for the war. Malaysia provided full
support even though the U.S. had the British as its ally. The visit of Lyndon Johnson, former
U.S. President to Malaysia in 1966 was seen as a strategic effort from the U.S. to involve the
Malayans into the Vietnam War in order to achieve success. Further, during the recent years, the
U.S. has been trying to suppress the rising power of China and for this, it shifted its focus
primarily to the Southeast Asian countries especially Malaysia. The Trans-Pacific Partnership
Agreement (TPPA) was seen as an opportunity to fulfill this objective3.
Further advancement in the Malaysia-U.S ties was made possible with the TPP
agreement between eleven countries bordering the Pacific Ocean and the U.S. Malaysia was also
amongst the eleven countries who had signed a free-trade agreement with the U.S. the agreement
was proposed in 2015 and implemented in February 20164. The Obama government was
welcoming of the agreement as it meant that they now had the opportunity to trade without
restrictions in these countries that were rich in natural resources. However, with the election of
Donald Trump as the new U.S. President in 2016, TPP went into uncertainty with Trump pulling
America off the agreement. The decision had a significant impact on Malaysia as the country
2 Rinehart, Ian E. "Malaysia: Background and US Relations." Current Politics and Economics of South,
Southeastern, and Central Asia 23.2 (2014): 153.
3 Ustr.gov, 'TPP Full Text' (Ustr.gov, 2018) <https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-
partnership/tpp-full-text> accessed 16 May 2018.
4 Bbc.com, 'What Is The Trans-Pacific Partnership?' (BBC News, 2018) <http://www.bbc.com/news/business-
32498715> accessed 16 May 2018.

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MALAYSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ON TRUMPS'S ADMINISTRATION
viewed it as America’s strategy to sideline Islamic nations. Other aspects of the TPP and its
future shall be elaborated in later sections.
The essay will then focus on the economic benefits gained by Malaysia from its
relationship with the U.S. While focusing on Malaysia’s bilateral ties with the U.S., it is revealed
that the country’s economy was largely influenced since the inception of the Malaysian
federation. More than the U.S., Malaysia is the one that significantly depends on good trade
relations with the U.S. in order to boost its economy. While the U.S. has been listing higher
imports value and lower export values from and to Malaysia for the last five years while
Malaysia has been doing the opposite. This has resulted in an increased trade deficit for U.S. and
minimum trade surplus for Malaysia. Another important aspect of the tie between the two
countries is that in a very short time since independence, Malaysia managed to grab the 12th rank
as America’s largest trading partner. The essay will further elaborate on the economic influence
of the relationship in the coming sections that will include the financial crisis in U.S during the
2008-2009 periods and its impact on Malaysia’s economy.
This paper will also present the role of the Malaysian leaders of different eras in
establishing and maintaining ties with the U.S. The leaders from Tunku Abdul Rahman to Najib
Razak, all have had different approaches to the relationship with Tunku being the first leader to
welcome the U.S. as its friend and Najib being the latest to carry on this relationship5. Razak’s
last year meeting with trump has been seen by Malaysians as a step towards new strategic
relationship between the two nations6. The essay will elaborate on the role played by the most
5 Kuik, Cheng-Chwee. "Malaysia's US policy under Najib: Structural and domestic sources of a small state's
strategy." Asian Security 9.3 (2013): 143-164.
6 Csis.org, 'Trump-Najib Meeting Gives Malaysia-U.S. Relations Shot Of Adrenaline' (Csis.org, 2018)
<https://www.csis.org/analysis/trump-najib-meeting-gives-malaysia-us-relations-shot-adrenaline> accessed 16 May
2018.

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MALAYSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ON TRUMPS'S ADMINISTRATION
prominent leaders of Malaysia in strengthening the ties with America thus ensuring the rapid
growth of the country.
However, it is important to note that since the election of Donald Trump as the U.S.
President in 2016, some tensions have arisen between the two nations. The anti-Islamist policies
of Trump in particular have managed to upset the sentiments of the Malaysian people and scared
those who live in America. This assignment will look closely into the foreign policies of
America under Trump and see how these have influenced the foreign policies of Malaysia. in
particular, the essay will focus on the changing nature of the relationship between U.S. and
Malaysia in recent years particularly during the Obama era and Trump era.

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References:
Bbc.com, 'What Is The Trans-Pacific Partnership?' (BBC News, 2018)
<http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32498715> accessed 16 May 2018
Csis.org, 'Trump-Najib Meeting Gives Malaysia-U.S. Relations Shot Of Adrenaline' (Csis.org,
2018) <https://www.csis.org/analysis/trump-najib-meeting-gives-malaysia-us-relations-shot-
adrenaline> accessed 16 May 2018
Kuik, Cheng-Chwee. "Malaysia's US policy under Najib: Structural and domestic sources of a
small state's strategy." Asian Security 9.3 (2013): 143-164.
Rinehart, Ian E. "Malaysia: Background and US Relations." Current Politics and Economics of
South, Southeastern, and Central Asia 23.2 (2014): 153.
Usembassy.gov, 'History Of The U.S. And Malaysia | U.S. Embassy In Malaysia' (U.S. Embassy
in Malaysia, 2018) <https://my.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/io/> accessed 16
May 2018
Ustr.gov, 'TPP Full Text' (Ustr.gov, 2018) <https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-
agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/tpp-full-text> accessed 16 May 2018