Images and the Shaping of Malaysia's China Policy: 1957-1974

This paper describes early images of China in Malaysia and explains how they reflected Malaysia's early China policy. The images were mostly negative in character and were the outcome of Malaysia's historical experience, both in the distant past and in more recent years. This was set against a background of colonialism, nationalism and the Cold War. The last forty years of official Malaysia-China relations, however, have led to a generally more positive view of China in Malaysia. This improved relations helped reshape the images of China in the perception of Malaysians.