 | |
 Malaysia |  United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Malaysian High Commission, London | British High Commission, Kuala Lumpur |
| Envoy | |
| High Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Sadik Kethergany | High Commissioner Ailsa Terry |
Malaysia–United Kingdom relations arebilateralforeign relations betweenMalaysia and theUnited Kingdom. Malaysia has a high commission inLondon,[1] and the United Kingdom has a high commission inKuala Lumpur.[2] Both countries are full members of theCommonwealth of Nations.
English traders had been present in Malay waters since the 17th century.[4] Before the mid 19th century, British interests in the region were predominantly economic, with little interest in territorial control.[5] The growth of theChina trade in British ships increased theEast India Company’s (EIC) desire for bases in the region. Various islands were used for this purpose, with the first permanent acquisition beingPenang, which was leased from theSultanate of Kedah in 1786.[6][7] This was followed soon after by the leasing of a block of territory on the mainland opposite Penang (known asProvince Wellesley).[8] In 1795, during theNapoleonic Wars, the British with the consent of theNetherlands occupiedDutch Malacca to forestall possibleFrench interest in the area.[9][10]
In 1824 British hegemony in Malaya was formalised by theAnglo-Dutch Treaty, which divided theMalay Archipelago between Britain and the Netherlands. The Dutch evacuated Malacca and renounced all interest in Malaya, while the British recognised Dutch rule over the rest of the East Indies.[6][11][12] By 1826, the British controlled Penang, Malacca,Singapore and the island ofLabuan, which they established as crown colonies of theStraits Settlements, administered first under the EIC until 1867, when they were transferred to theColonial Office in London. On the other hand,White Rajahs (founded by British adventurerJames Brooke) ruled theRaj of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946,[13][14] whileNorth Borneo was founded by theNorth Borneo Chartered Company.[15][16] Both Sarawak and North Borneo subsequently became aBritish Protectorate,[17] and aCrown colony in 1946.[18][19] In 1944, the British drew up plans for aMalayan Union, which would unite theFederated andUnfederated Malay States (except for Singapore), into a single Crown colony, with a view towards independence. It was established in 1946, and was dissolved in 1948 to be replaced by theFederation of Malaya. The federation became independent from the United Kingdom on 31 August 1957, and joinedNorth Borneo,Sarawak andSingapore to form a new larger federation known as the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.[20][21] However, in less than two years upon the founding of the federation, Singapore wasexpelled as a consequence of the1964 race riots.[22][23]
The modern relations between the two countries was conditioned and shaped by British colonial rule in the country from the 19th century until its independence.[24] Since the foundation of the Malaysian Federation, several visits have been made between each other leaders. TheYang di-Pertuan AgongSultan Abdul Halim of Kedah paid astate visit to the United Kingdom in July 1974.[25] The next Yang di-Pertuan AgongSultan Azlan Shah of Perak paid a state visit to the United Kingdom in November 1993.[25] QueenElizabeth II paid state visits to Malaysia in October 1989 and September 1998.[26]David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visited Malaysia in the first half of 2012 as part of his Asia tour.Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and his wifeCatherine, the Duchess of Cambridge visited Malaysia from 13 to 16 September 2012, as part of a nine-day tour through Commonwealth countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific to celebrateQueen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.[27] On 2 November 2017,Prince Charles and his wifeCamilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, made anofficial visit to Malaysia to commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two countries.[28]
Since 1963, the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) has been providing British businesses with networking, knowledge exchange, trade assistance and support in Malaysia.[29]
Malaysia is the UK's second-largest trading partner inASEAN.[30]
In 1996, the two countries signed a double taxation agreement.[31]
In 2017, the United Kingdom was Malaysia's fourth largest trading country in theEuropean Union (EU) with annual goods and services trade at£3.34 billion.[32] In April 2017, United Kingdom Secretary of International Trade DrLiam Fox said their country affirmed its commitment to increase trade and investment as part of a determined effort to reach out to its trading partners and to reassure that the United Kingdom was open for business beyondBrexit after the former triggeredarticle 50 for the secession from the EU while acknowledging the massive investments by Malaysian companies in the country such as in theBattersea Power Station.[32] The Malaysian side also announced its ready to work with the United Kingdom.[33] In September 2017, the United Kingdom Prime Minister's trade envoy to MalaysiaRichard Graham visit Malaysia to promote United Kingdom's education expertise and positioned the country as the overseas investment destination of choice for Malaysian companies and investors, adding that the country has more than doubled its export funds to £5 billion to support two-way trade with Malaysia.[34] In October 2017, the United Kingdom Mega Tech Mission 2017 (comprising 50 leading-edge technology companies) heading to Malaysia to widen business outreach and explore new technology deals with local players.[35][36][37]
In July 2023, the United Kingdom has signed the agreement toaccede to theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, atrade bloc of which Malaysia is a founding member.[38] This is the firstfree trade agreement between the two countries.[39]
TheBritish Council has provided English language mentoring to thousands of local primary school teachers inEast Malaysia under the English Language Teacher Development Project (ELTDP) with theMalaysian government.[40][41][42]
UK degree-awarding bodies are the main providers ofTransnational Education (TNE) in Malaysia, with over 50% of all non-local programmes leading to a UK degree. Malaysia is the second-largest host country/region for UK TNE, (and the largest host country if distance-learning andOxford Brookes' partnership withACCA are excluded) , although over the past few years there has been a decrease in TNE student numbers due to consolidation of the existing offer in the context of an increasingly competitive market, a developing local higher education sector and changes in local regulations.[43]
Five UK universities have established branch campuses in Malaysia. Three campuses are located inIskandar Puteri, Johor:University of Southampton Malaysia Campus,Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia,University of Reading; while one is located inSemenyih, Selangor:University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus ; one is located in theFederal Territory of Putrajaya:Heriot-Watt University Malaysia.[44] All these universities are being independently evaluated by UK'sQuality Assurance Agency and Malaysia'sMalaysian Qualification Agency.[43]
There is also emerging interest ofBritish Independent Schools to set up branch campuses or international schools in Malaysia 'to tap into Asia's multi-billion dollar international school market[45]'. As of 2021, three independent schools have established branch campuses in Malaysia. One such campus isEpsom College Malaysia, located inBandar Enstek. Another such campus isMarlborough College Malaysia, located inIskandar Puteri.Charterhouse School had also recently ventured into the Malaysian and AsianInternational School market through the establishment of its campus inKuala Lumpur.[46]
In August 2022,Concord College announced the construction of Concord College International School inSepang, adjacent to theXiamen University Malaysia in Sunsuria City.[47]
The United Kingdom maintains relations with Malaysia'sMinistry of Defence and theMalaysian Armed Forces. This relation began during the colonial rule of Malaya and Singapore prior to Malaya's independence in 1957, including the confrontations between the ruling government and communist forces. Malaysia and the United Kingdom are both members of theFive Powers Defence Arrangements, since 1971.[48][49]
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