Popular Perceptions of China's Influence in Malaysia since the BRI: An Economic Perspective

Abstract:China's bold Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a multilateral framework of international cooperation particularly across developing countries, has captured worldwide attention and seen varied responses from different countries. While developed economies have often critiqued the Initiative and have also endeavoured to encircle and counterbalance China's ambitions through multilateral alliances, most developing countries appear to welcome the Initiative. As recipients of the Initiative, how do Malaysians perceive China, especially since the BRI started in 2013? What are the factors that determine the popular perceptions of China in Malaysia? Comparing public opinion data from the third and fourth waves of the Asian Barometer Survey, the author conducts an intervention analysis, a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis, and a multiple regression analysis to assess the impact. These empirical exercises reveal that the popular perceptions of China in Malaysia significantly improved since the launch of the BRI, as the economic incentives through the BRI loom larger over time. In addition, the author also conducted in-depth interviews and assembled other independent sources of survey data to further corroborate the above findings with more nuances of the attitudinal change.