 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in German. (July 2022)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | |
 Germany |  Malaysia |
|---|---|
Germany–Malaysia relations are theforeign relations betweenGermany andMalaysia. Germany has anembassy inKuala Lumpur,[1] and Malaysia has an embassy inBerlin.[2]
The first related history with theGerman Empire is when the Austrian-German Consul inHong Kong namedBaron von Overbeck received a parcel of territory in the western coast of northernBorneo after being promoted by an American merchant namedJoseph William Torrey in Hong Kong. von Overbeck then depart toBrunei to renewed theconcession from theTemenggong of Brunei,[3] and a similar treaty from theSultanate of Sulu on 22 January 1878.[4] To finance his plans for the territory, von Overbeck gets a financial backing from the Dent brothers (Alfred and Edward). However, after a high effort to promote the territory to the Austrian and German governments, he was unable to get any attention from the two to conquer the territory. Overbeck later withdrew in 1879, leaving it toAlfred Dent to manage the territory.
The first-ever visit of a German chancellor to Malaysia came about when the thenprime minister of Malaysia,Mahathir Mohamad, invited thechancellor of Germany at that time,Gerhard Schröder, to visit the country in March 2002. The first official visit was then made in the following year by Schröder.[5] In September 2004, the next Malaysian Prime MinisterAbdullah Ahmad Badawi made a bilateral talks with ChancellorAngela Merkel during theAsia–Europe Meeting (ASEM Summit) inHanoi,Vietnam.[6] On 17 May 2005, a visit was made by Abdullah for political and economic talks with Schröder.[7] A brief visit to Kuala Lumpur by German Foreign MinisterJoschka Fischer was made on 10 February 2005.[8] On 11 September 2006, Abdullah met again with Merkel for the second bilateral talks on the sidelines of the ASEM Summit inHelsinki,Finland.[6][9]
Malaysia has been Germany's principal trading partner among theASEAN countries for several years, with Germany also becoming one of the biggest investors in Malaysia.[5] Trade in 2006 amounted to approximately€7.6 billion, 9.67% up from the previous year. Germany importselectrical products,office machinery,edible and industrial fats and oils, rubber products, primary chemical products from Malaysia, and exportsmachinery,motor vehicles andaircraft, hardware andpharmaceutical products to the country. In 2014, the German imports from Malaysia reached 6.1 billion while its exports to Malaysia were 14.8 billion.[10]
In 2001, there were over 70,400 tourist arrivals from Germany in Malaysia, which is the second largest number of tourist arrivals in Malaysia from Europe after theUnited Kingdom. This is out of the 12.8 million tourist arrivals recorded for 2001, which was a 25% increase from 2000.[11]
Cultural links between Germany and Malaysia mainly exist in education and language. TheGoethe-Institut, a German cultural institution, has a branch in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, the Malaysian German Society inGeorge Town, the capital city of theMalaysian state ofPenang, was established in 1962.[13]German language courses are available at both centres, which also host German cultural festivals such as the annualOktoberfest celebrations.
Two state universities in Malaysia offer bachelor's degree courses in German. About 30 co-operation agreements exist between German and Malaysian universities ofapplied sciences. In 2017, over 700 Malaysians with government scholarships are studying at German universities, mainly in theengineering field.[14] TheGerman Academic Exchange Service maintains its own information centre in Kuala Lumpur.
An English version ofDeutsche Welle TV channel broadcasts on Hypp TV, an IPTV provider through the fibre-opticUnifi network byTelekom Malaysia.[15] Previously, in the 2000s, several television programmes of Deutsche Welle were available onAstro, Malaysia's only satellite provider. There are also contacts in the music, theatre and film sectors. As part of co-operation between museums, Germany helped to fund a regional restoration centre in theIslamic Arts Museum.
There are also several German political foundations that support sociocultural, education and media projects in Malaysia. TheKonrad Adenauer Foundation has an office in Kuala Lumpur and theFriedrich Naumann andFriedrich Ebert foundations are also active in the country.
 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
