Malaysia's economic relations with Central Asia

Abstract

Malaysia has established diplomatic relations with the Central Asian republics since the 1990s. Prior to the 1990s Malaysia's relations with the Central Asian republics were rather limited. There were no diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the Central Asian republics as they were still part of the Soviet Union. The Cold War rivalries and Moscow's policies on Central Asia have prevented Malaysia from initiating any relations. However since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in 1991 Malaysia-Central Asia relations began to enter a new phase, in terms of trade and investment. In addition to trade, the other economic cooperation such oil and gas exploration, technology, tourism, halal product, tourism and education cooperation have been demonstrating great potential. This paper analyzes Malaysia's economic relations with the Central Asian republics in the post Cold War. Therefore the paper addresses three major issues. First, the economic background of Malaysia and Central Asia will be analyzed. Second, the economic cooperation between Malaysia and the Central Asian republics and third, the challenges encountered in the economic cooperation.