Malaysia has reached out to its neighbors seeking support against China, and its claims
on the South China Sea.
Malaysia says it can’t stand alone against China’s aggressions, so how powerful IS
Malaysia?
With China's moves in the South China Sea, Malaysia has called on its neighbors for support.
But just how powerful is Malaysia on its own?
[Squarespace]
Well, in terms of its size, Malaysia is somewhat average.
At nearly 130 thousand square miles, or about the size of the US state of New Mexico, Malaysia
is the 67th largest country in the world.
Malaysia’s population of nearly 30 million ranks higher than most countries, but pales
in comparison to neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines, which together account for
more people than that of the United States.
But Malaysia’s population is growing, and the country has considerable economic potential.
With a GDP of just under 340 billion dollars, Malaysia joins the ranks of South Africa and
Colombia as a middle-income country.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak (NAH-jihb RAH-zahk), hopes to boster the country to
high-income status by 2020, in-part by reducing its dependence on exports, which account for
more than 80 percent of their GDP.
Historically, Malaysia relied solely on resource-based exports, like palm oil and gas.
However today, the country boasts a wide range of exports, many of which are non-resourced
based, like electronics and cars.
Malaysia is also part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Trans Pacific
Partnership, both of which promise greater economic cooperation between member states.
But Malaysia’s government is plagued with corruption scandals.
Prime Minister Najib himself has been accused of pocketing more than one billion dollars
of state funds.
Militarily, Malaysia is also somewhat unimpressive.
Stacked against the world’s defense, the country comes in 34th, just below Myanmar.
This is, in part, because Malaysia only allots about one-and-a-half percent of its GDP towards
its armed forces, well below the US’s nearly four percent and NATO’s recommended two
percent.
In the case of an invasion, Malaysia’s army of just over 400,000 troops would likely be
outnumbered, as most of their neighbors have significantly stronger militaries.
Indonesia’s army boasts more than twice as many troops as Malaysia, and China has
roughly ten times as many.
But this actually works to Malaysia’s advantage, as the country has military partnerships with
most of its powerful neighbors.
Surely this is why Malaysia is seeking help from its Southeast Asian allies in its battle
over the South China Sea.
Malaysia has historically taken a back seat in the dispute.
But after China encroached on the country’s territorial waters in 2015, Malaysia has taken
a harder line toward China.
In the scope of this conflict and on the world stage, Malaysia is effectively powerless on
its own.
Until the country makes significant strides toward its promising economic future, it will
surely remain subordinate to its powerful neighbors.
We’d like to take a second to thank our sponsor.
This episode is brought to you by Squarespace.
They’ll help you build a website even if you’ve never done it before.
When you sign up for a year, they’ll give you a domain name for free.
And if you type in TestTube at checkout, you’ll get an extra 10% off.
Squarespace…
you should.
Going up against China is a challenge not just for Malaysia but for almost any nation.
So is China the world’s biggest superpower?
Find out by watching our video here.
Thanks for tuning in to TestTube News!
Make sure to like and subscribe for more videos every day.