President Xi Jinping this year described relations between China and Malaysia as the ‘best ever’ in history. Two years earlier, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had described the bilateral relations as at the ‘best level in history’. While the majority of Malaysian Chinese have viewed China’s presence in the country positively, in reality their feelings are mixed.They are as wary as they are welcoming.

As China engages further in Malaysia’s domestic affairs, Malaysian Chinese are finding themselves in a triple dilemma. How will this development impact them given the realities of Malaysia’s ethnic politics? How will the Malaysian Chinese be viewed by the other communities, especially the majority Malays, given the periodic tensions between them?

…Chan Xin Ying is a Research Analyst with the Malaysia Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.