[ICS WEB-BASED CONFERENCE] CHINA, MALAYSIA AND PROSPECTS FOR REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION: IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS

Both China and Malaysia are open, trading economies and share the same interest to sustain and promote regional economic cooperation. This year, Malaysia is also the chair country of Asia-Pacific Economic Caucus (APEC), which was formed to advance regional economic cooperation across the Pacific Rim region. However, the prospects of regional economic cooperation have faced significant challenges. Tensions between the two largest economies, the United States and China, and the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in lower growth prospects for all economies in the region. Regional economic cooperation bodies and initiatives such as APEC, Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP), Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) all face unprecedented uncertainties and challenges. Malaysia and China enjoy a robust economic relationship, bolstered by long-standing diplomatic ties. However, this bilateral economic relationship is impacted by regional currents and trends, and therefore will have to be understood within the regional and even global contexts. Issues such as changes in trade and investment patterns, the future of regional economic governance architecture, the impact of COVID-19 on supply-chains, and the economic-security nexus in the context of geopolitical tensions, will need to be explored and discussed. Hence, the Institute of China Studies of the University of Malaya is organizing this web-based International Conference to illuminate on these issues.