King Salman of Saudi Arabia visited Malaysia on the first stop of a month-long tour of Asia, signing several agreements that signal not only an increased level of engagement between the two countries, but also a shift in the nature of the relationship.

Saudi King Salman’s four-day state visit to Malaysia in late February culminated with an investment deal between Malaysia’s Petronas and Saudi Aramco, as well as key bilateral agreements on the cooperation and exchange of expertise in the fields of trade and economy; labour and human resources; science and higher education; and news exchange.

The latter agreements underscore a shift from past engagements where Saudi financial assistance to Malaysia was central in the bilateral relationship, to a newer model of engagement between the two countries that could potentially be mutually beneficial.

… Saleena Saleem is an Associate Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.